Avaliação da proteção radiológica ocupacional em uma sala de radiologia intervencionista

Abstract

Interventional Radiology (IR) procedures have increased in recent years, mainly because they allow good results in the treatment and diagnosis of pathologies. All IR procedures make use of ionizing radiation, which when interacting with the patient, generate a realtime image on a monitor for the physician's evaluation. The physician uses the image as a guide during the procedure. To perform these IR procedures, the medical staff makes use of personal protective equipment. Observing the large number of IR procedures, and the high doses received by the medical staff during these procedures, in this Completion of Course Work, the integrity of the radiation protection clothes (lead apron and thyroid collar) at the Public Hospital was experimentally evaluated. All radiation protection clothes were analyzed using the fluoroscopy equipment, and none showed any fissure in its internal element. In addition, among the various IR procedures, the Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedure was computationally studied, using the Monte Carlo Method, in order to verify the values of conversion coefficients for equivalent dose (CC[HT]) and effective dose (CC[E]) of the physician and nurse, considering the lead apron with intact internal element and with fissures. An increase of up to 74.8% was observed in the organs behind the fissures of the physician's apron and an increase of up to 238% in the organs behind the fissures of the nurse's apron. The distance between the medical staff and the patient was also evaluated. An increase of up to 11.5% between the values of CC[E] of the physician and the nurse was observed. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that is important to check constantly the integrity of the radiation protection clothes, and the observation of the distancing of the medical staff in relation to the patient, to avoid unnecessary doses in the medical staff