Establishment and validation of Local Diagnostic Reference Levels (LDRLs) and determination of effective dose in hemodynamic procedures

• Grant number: 23/01156-6
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: October 01, 2023 - September 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Radiology
• Principal Investigator: Diana Rodrigues de Pina Miranda
• Grantee: Diana Rodrigues de Pina Miranda
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FMB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Interventional procedures are often associated with high levels of radiation dose, both for medical staff and patients. According to national and international regulations, a set of actions must be established to protect these individuals against unwanted radiation exposure effects. Within this perspective, this project seeks, initially, to survey dosimetric quantities, such as the kerma-area product, associated with the most frequently performed procedures in an interventional radiology sector, through a solid multicentric survey. These values will then be used to establish local diagnostic reference levels, thus filling an important gap in the scientific community, especially concerning interventional radiology for Latin America. In addition to this, the project also aims is to correlate the dosimetric quantities with other quantities, such the effective dose estimated in interventionists who performed these procedures. This correlation will provide subsidies for planning and maintenance of the occupational radiation protection program and certify previously collected data in an unprecedentedly manner. Finally, clinical information from the interventional protocols will be used to simulate doses in patients through a software employing the Monte Carlo method, thus providing more realistic data. This step aims to bring more precision to dose estimate in the scope of interventional radiology, correlating theoretical-experimental data in order to develop more realistic simulations and provide better estimation of risks associated with these practices, all in an original manner. In an unprecedented way, it is also intended to estimate the interventionist dose through scattered radiation field simulation. The project will be carried out in three large public hospitals managed by the same sponsoring institution (HCFMB-UNESP), using four interventional equipment, and raising a volume of data little explored in the literature (at first, approximately 8,000 exams). The project relies on simulators, anthropomorphic phantoms, thermoluminescent dosimeters, and solid-state detector equipment for beam dosimetry and quality control. The study comprises data collection, experimental and computer simulation steps, aiming to generate original contributions to the scientific community with practical applicability in hospital routine. For the execution of this research, I request the acquisition of 250 TLD dosimeters (TLD-100 - LiF:Mg, Ti Harshaw), [...] (as per the attached rate). The treatment and readings of these dosimeters will be carried out in partnership with the company SAPRA Landauer. All other measuring equipment to be used in this research are part of the Botucatu Medical School's assets, acquired by the Laboratory of Applied Physics for Radiodiagnosis Group (LAFAR). Under the processes: FAPESP- Process: 2020/05539-9, CNPq - Proess: 480125/2008-2 and CNPq Process: 303509/2019-8 all under the coordination of the proponent of this research project. (AU)