[Long-term Reproducibility Evaluation of Fluoroscopy Dose Rate in Angiography Equipment].

Abstract

Purpose: Diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) are defined as fluoroscopic dose rate measurements that are used for patient dose management in angiography. It is recommended that DRLs be measured at least once a year. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term fluctuations of fluoroscopic dose rate in an angiography system.

Methods: An unconnected X-ray output analyzer was used to measure the fluoroscopic dose rate (air kerma rate) at the patient's entrance reference point for a specific angiography system. The target period was from 2015 to 2022, and four measurements per year were made. First, the fluoroscopic dose rate was measured, and the average value and standard deviation for the target period were calculated. Next, the uncertainty of the measured values and the coefficient of variation were calculated. Finally, we calculated the fluoroscopic dose rate measurement error.

Results: The average±standard deviation of the fluoroscopic dose rate was 353.29±9.11 µGy/s. The maximum uncertainty and coefficient of variation for each year were 5.41 µGy/s and 0.03, respectively. The maximum measurement error was 4.67%, where the mean measured value was taken as the true value.

Conclusion: The fluctuation in the measured value of the fluoroscopic dose rate by an angiography system for 8 years is within ±5%, indicating stable X-ray output.