Diagnostic reference levels during fluoroscopically guided interventions using mobile C-arms in operating rooms: A national multicentric survey

Purpose To establish diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) and achievable levels (ALs) for the most common fluoroscopically guided interventions (FGIs) performed in operating rooms using mobile C-arm equipment. Methods A national survey was performed in 57 centers in France. Anonymous data from 6817 patients undergoing FGIs were prospectively collected over a period of 7 months. DRLs (third quartile of the distribution) and ALs (median of the distribution) were determined for each type of intervention in terms of kerma area product (KAP) and fluoroscopy time (FT). Results DRLs and ALs were proposed for 31 procedure types related to seven surgical specialties: orthopedics (n = 9), urology (n = 3), vascular (n = 6), cardiology (n = 5), neurosurgery (n = 3), gastrointestinal (n = 3), and multi-specialty (n = 2). DRLs in terms of KAP ranged from 0.1 Gy·cm2 for hallux valgus to 78 Gy·cm2 for abdominal aortic aneurysm endovascular repair. A factor of 155 was obtained between the FTs for a herniated lumbar disk (0.2 min) and an abdominal aortic aneurysm endovascular repair (31 min). The highest variations were obtained within orthopedic procedures in terms of KAP (ratio 122) and within gastrointestinal procedures in terms of FT (ratio 9). Overall, the FGIs associated with the highest radiation exposure (KAP > 10 Gy·cm2) were found in the cardiology, vascular, and gastrointestinal specialties. Conclusions DRLs and ALs are suggested for a wide range of FGIs performed in operating rooms using a mobile C-arm. We aim at providing a practical optimization tool for medical physicists and surgeons.