Due to the radiation exposure for the urology staff during endourology, our aim was to evaluate the trends of radiation protection in the operation room by endourologists from European centers and to estimate their annual radiation.
We conducted a multicenter study involving experienced endourologists from different European centers to evaluate whether the protection and threshold doses recommended by the International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP) were being followed. A 36-question survey was completed on the use of fluoroscopy and radiation protection. Annual prospective data from chest, extremities, and eye dosimeters were collected during a 4-year period (2017-2020).
Ten endourologists participated. Most surgeons use lead aprons and thyroid shield (9/10 and 10/10), while leaded gloves and caps are rarely used (2/10 both). Six out of ten surgeons wear leaded glasses. There is widespread use of personal chest dosimeters under the apron (9/10), and only 5/10 use a wrist or ring dosimeter and 4 use an eye dosimeter. Two endourologists use the ALARA protocol. The use of ultrasound and fluoroscopy during PCNL puncture was reported by 8 surgeons. The mean number of PCNL and URS per year was 30.9 (SD 19.9) and 147 (SD 151.9). The mean chest radiation was 1.35 mSv per year and 0.007 mSv per procedure. Mean radiation exposure per year in the eyes and extremities was 1.63 and 11.5 mSv.
Endourologists did not exceed the threshold doses for radiation exposure to the chest, extremities and lens. Furthermore, the ALARA protocol manages to reduce radiation exposure.
World journal of urology. 2024 Mar 15*** epublish ***
Sofia Fontanet Soler, Alejandra Bravo-Balado, Andreas Skolarikos, Christian Seitz, Olivier Traxer, Michele Talso, Eugenio Ventimiglia, Luca Villa, Amelia Pietropaolo, Etienne Xavier Keller, Panagiotis Kallidonis, Tarik Emre Sener, Udo Nagele, Vincent De Coninck, Zeeshan Hameed, Arman Tsaturyan, Patrick Juliebø-Jones, Ioannis Mikoniatis, Oliver Wiseman, Lazaros Tzelves, Esteban Emiliani
Department of Urology, Fundació Puigvert (IUNA), Autonoma University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. ., Department of Urology, Fundació Puigvert (IUNA), Autonoma University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain., Department of Urology, Sismanogleio Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece., Department of Urology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria., Department of Urology, Tenon Hospital, Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris-EST, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Pierre Et Marie Curie Paris 6, Paris, France., Department of Urology ASST Fatebenefratelli, Sacco University Hospital, Milan, Italy., Department of Urology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy., Department of Urology, URI, IRCCS Ospe-Dale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy., Department of Urology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK., Department of Urology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland., Department of Urology, University Hospital of Rion, Patras, Greece., Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey., Department of Urology and Andrology, General Hospital Hall in Tirol, Hall in Tirol, Austria., Department of Urology, AZ Klina, Brasschaat, Belgium., Department of Urology, Kasturba Medical College Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India., Department of Urology, University of Patras, Patras, Greece., Department of Urology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway., Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Health Sciences, Thessaloniki, Greece., Department of Urology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.
PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38488927