Less is More: Reducing Radiation in Hysterosalpingography Through Targeted Interventions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69954/pklijhs.27Keywords:
radiation dose, hysterosalpingography, radiation exposure, fluoroscopyAbstract
ABSTRACT
Objective:
To compare radiation exposure time during fluoroscopic hysterosalpingography (HSG) before and after certain interventions were introduced aiming to reduce radiation exposure to the patients.
Material and Methods:
After getting approval from the Institutional Review Board, the study was carried out in the radiology department at Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad. The study was conducted to determine the exposure time for entrance surface dose of 120 female patients who were subjected to fluoroscopic HSG investigation during the duration of the study. The study was done in two phases between February–May 2022 and September–December 2022 with the phases being separated from each other by a period of intervention where certain measures like training the radiology residents, equipment optimization, patient counselling and improved coordination between fluoroscopic operator and assisting staff were taken.
The exposure time for HSG with normal and abnormal findings was recorded. 60 patients were included in each phase 1 and 2 with 30 studies being unremarkable and 30 studies yielding abnormal results in each phase 1 and 2. Paired-T test was employed to compare the mean radiation exposure time in normal studies in Phase 1 with that of normal studies in Phase 2, and to also compare the mean radiation exposure time in abnormal studies in Phase 1 with that of abnormal studies in Phase 2.
Results:
Patients’ ages ranged between 25-35 years with an average of 30 years. The mean radiation exposure time in Phase 1 was 94.9 seconds for normal studies and 181.5 seconds for abnormal studies. In Phase 2, the mean exposure time was reduced to 45 seconds for normal studies and 46.5 seconds for abnormal studies. Paired t-tests showed significant reductions in exposure times in both groups, with p-values < 0.005.
Conclusion:
Significant reductions in radiation exposure time were noted, highlighting the effectiveness of the interventions.
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