Factors That Affect Dose to the Eyes of the Operator of a C-arm Guided Procedure

The purpose of this research was to determine if there is a significant difference in dose to the eyes of the operator when imaging anatomy of different sizes and manipulating collimation in c-arm-guided procedures. Fluoroscopy is utilized in diagnostic radiology to provide real time images of internal structures. Although fluoroscopy plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in patients, it exposes the staff assisting in the procedure to higher amounts of occupational dose. As a result, radiosensitive tissues such as the lens of the eyes, are more susceptible to damage and can result in the formation of cataracts. The members of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), recommended that occupational exposure for eye lens dose should be no greater than 20 mSv per year (2011). The research conducted in this experiment identifies the amount of radiation a radiologic technologist could be exposed to when imaging body parts of different tissue thickness in fluoroscopic procedures. It also evaluates the difference in dose received to the lens of the eyes of the operator when collimating to only the anatomy of interest. In this experiment, the following null hypotheses will be tested: Null hypothesis 1: There is no significant difference in dose to the lens of the eyes of the operator when imaging anatomy of different sizes during a c-arm guided procedure.Null hypothesis 2: There is no significant difference in dose to the lens of the eyes of the operator when utilizing collimation during a c-arm guided procedure