J Radiol
-
Radiologists should be able to appreciate the radiation dose delivered to patients for routine diagnostic procedures. The radiology report should include data necessary to calculate the patient dose in Gray. ⋯ For conventional (non-interventional) radiography, the effective dose for a given exam is inferior or equal to the yearly background radiation. For CT, the effective dose corresponds to 1 to 10 years of yearly background radiation.
-
Study the incidence, type and outcome of traumatic ischemic arterial lesions of the kidney in multiple trauma patients. ⋯ We found a high incidence of traumatic renal dissection in multiple trauma patients. Multidetector scan appears to provide the best results for the diagnosis of these lesions as well as the many associated lesions resulting in a very poor prognosis for these patients. Treatment is not well defined and management of these lesions is often of secondary importance because of the severity of associated injuries.
-
Cranial traumas from gunshot wounds are characterised by the impact of a high velocity projectile. There are therefore serious, life threatening traumas. CT Scan is essential in the emergency setting for initial evaluation of traumatic bone and parenchymatous injuries to determine the indication for neurosurgery and appropriate medical management. In case of survival, CT Scan and MRI can be used to monitor progress and any possible complications, in particular vascular or infectious complications which are specific to this type of injury.
-
The obligations of the radiologist for the radiation protection of patients include a review of the appropriateness of the examination and optimization of the protocol. Both internal and external quality assurance programs are mandatory. The specific tasks and their frequency are defined by the AFSSAPS. ⋯ The imaging technique must be optimized based on published guidelines or law for the most frequent examinations. All radiologists should be familiar with radiation protection. Incidents should be reported to the Nuclear Safety Authority.
-
Reducing radiation dose while maintaining adequate image quality on conventional and digital radiographs requires optimal use of the unit. Additional filtration avoids unnecessary tissue exposure and improves photon transmission. Automatic exposure control may reduce exposure and dose. ⋯ Radiographic films combined to rare-earth screens also afford a good photon-conversion efficiency. Large area flat panel amorphous silicon x-ray sensors may also reduce dose up to 50% compared to films. Finally, calculation of the Kerma-area product independent of the source distance constitutes an important indicator of radiation dose.