Radiation dose can be reduced by as much as 88 percent for common interventional radiology procedures and still be safe and effective, a new study shows.
"The study included 291 patients who underwent CT-guided biopsy, needle aspiration or catheter placement procedures," said Brian Lucey, MD, Assistant Professor at Boston University Medical Center.
"These patients undergo diagnostic imaging examinations before they come in for their image-guided interventional procedures," said Dr. Lucey. These initial examinations are performed using standard radiation doses (175 to 250 mAs depending on the size of the patient). In the past, "we also used standard radiation doses when we performed the interventional procedure, but we really do not require diagnostic quality images. Which means, that we can dramatically reduce the radiation dose--when we perform the interventional procedure," he said. "We can successfully perform biopsies, needle aspirations and place catheters even if the image is a little muddy," he added.