Quantifying Radiation Doses in Common Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography Scenarios: An Evaluation of Radiation Safety Measures in a Real-World Environment

INTRODUCTION: Radiation safety training remains variable among gastroenterologists performing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). This study sought to ascribe dosimeter readings to various real-world ERCP scenarios to provide data supporting the 3 pillars of radiation safety: distance, time, and shielding. METHODS: An ERCP fluoroscopy unit was used to generate radiation scatter from 2 differently sized anthropomorphic phantoms. Radiation scatter was measured at various distances from the emitter, with and without a lead apron, and at various frame rates (measured in frames per second, fps) and degrees of fluoroscopy pedal actuation. An image quality phantom was used to assess resolution at various frame rates and air gaps. RESULTS: Increasing the distance resulted in a decrease in measured scatter (from 0.75 mR/h at 1.5 ft to 0.15 mR/h at 9 ft with the average phantom and from 50 mR/h at 1.5 ft to 3.06 mR/h at 9 ft with the large phantom). Depressing the fluoroscopy pedal less frequently, or decreasing the frame rate (ie, increasing the time per frame), resulted in a linear decrease in scatter (from 55 mR/h at 8 fps to 24.5 mR/h at 4 fps and 13.60 mR/h at 2 fps). Providing shielding through the presence of a 0.5-mm lead apron reduced scatter (from 4.10 to 0.11 mR/h with the average phantom; from 15.30 mR/h to 0.43 mR/h with the large phantom). However, decreasing the frame rate from 8 fps to 2 fps did not change the number of line pairs identified on the image phantom. A greater air gap increased the number of line pairs resolved. CONCLUSIONS: Implementing the 3 pillars of radiation safety led to a quantifiable, clinically significant decrease in radiation scatter. The authors hope that these findings spark greater implementation of radiation safety measures among practitioners utilizing fluoroscopy.