Radiation Protection In Paediatric Radiology

This book offers the reader sound advice on how to perform optimal conventional pediatric radiographs and how to obtain quick and easy organ dose estimates in order to improve the optimization process in pediatric imaging. Clear guidelines are provided for minimization of the radiation exposure of children through optimization of the radiation exposure conditions, and conversion coefficients are presented for calculation of the organ doses achieved in organs and tissues during conventional pediatric radiography, taking into consideration both optimal and suboptimal radiation field settings. Previously published conversion coefficients have failed to represent the variation in radiation field settings in daily clinical routine, which has made it difficult for the pediatric radiologist to estimate the impact of the field settings on absorbed doses in organs and tissues. The aim of this book, co-written by a pediatric radiologist, a physician and physicist, and a medical radiation technologist, is to address this issue by providing, for the first time, a thorough overview of clinical radiation field settings and their implications for radiation protection. An accompanying volume is devoted to fluoroscopy.

Provides guidance to radiologists, other clinicians and radiographers/technologists involved in using ionizing radiation for diagnostic procedures with children and adolescents, and should also be of value to medical physicists and regulators.

Radiography is an integral part of paediatric health care. It is frequently requested to assist in the diagnosis, management and treatment of childhood disease and illness. Accurate interpretation of paediatric radiographs can depend entirely on the quality of images produced by the radiographer, yet there are few books available on this crucial aspect of radiographic practice. Paediatric Radiography fills a gap. It explores radiographic practice within the context of the modern health service and focuses on how our knowledge and understanding of paediatric growth, development and illness can inform and influence radiographic procedures. It includes detailed coverage of specific paediatric techniques and good practice models, including the role of multi-modality imaging, and looks specifically at radiation protection, the chest and upper airways, the abdomen, neonatal radiography, trauma, orthopaedics, and non-accidental injury.

Compared to adults, children and adolescents suffer from different diseases and require different treatments. The same is true where imaging is concerned. The diagnostic strategies are different. The care prior to, during, and following the examination also differs from that of adults. This CME accredited Manual provides a comprehensive overview on the field of paediatric radiology and suggests imaging strategies for the most common clinical indications in children and adolescents.

Paediatric patients have a higher average risk of developing cancer compared with adults receiving the same dose. The longer life expectancy in children allows more time for any harmful effects of radiation to manifest, and developing organs and tissues are more sensitive to the effects of radiation. This publication aims to provide guiding principles of radiological protection for referring clinicians and clinical staff performing diagnostic imaging and interventional procedures for paediatric patients. It begins with a brief description of the basic concepts of radiological protection, followed by the general aspects of radiological protection, including principles of justification and optimisation. Guidelines and suggestions for radiological protection in specific modalities – radiography and fluoroscopy, interventional radiology, and computed tomography – are subsequently covered in depth. The report concludes with a summary and recommendations.