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Summary of the Italian inter-society recommendations for radiation protection optimization in interventional radiology

  • VASCULAR AND INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY
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Abstract

Objectives

A Working Group coordinated by the Italian National Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di Sanità) and the National Workers Compensation Authority (Istituto Nazionale per l’Assicurazione contro gli Infortuni sul Lavoro, INAIL) and consisting of 11 Italian scientific/professional societies involved in the fluoroscopically guided interventional practices has been established to define recommendations for the optimization of patients and staff radiation protection in interventional radiology. A summary of these recommendations is here reported.

Materials and methods

A multidisciplinary approach was used to establish the Working Group by involving radiologists, interventional radiologists, neuroradiologists, interventional cardiologists, occupational health specialists, medical physicists, radiation protection experts, radiographers and nurses. The Group operated as a “Consensus Conference”. Three main topics have been addressed: patient radiation protection (summarized in ten “golden rules”); staff radiation protection (summarized in ten “golden rules”); and education/training of interventional radiology professionals.

Results

In the “golden rules”, practical and operational recommendations were provided to help the professionals in optimizing dose delivered to patients and reducing their own exposure. Operative indications dealt also with continuing education and training, and recommendations on professional accreditation and certification.

Conclusions

The “Consensus Conference” was the methodology adopted for the development of these recommendations. Involvement of all professionals is a winning approach to improve practical implementation of the recommendations, thus getting a real impact on the optimization of the interventional radiology practices.

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Italian Working Group on Interventional Radiology

Carlo Bergamini, AOU di Bologna, retired since 2009; Guglielmo Bernardi, AO Santa Maria degli Angeli, Pordenone; Corrado Bibbolino, IRCCS Spallanzani, Roma, retired since 2011; Loredana D’Ercole, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia; Antonio D’Onofrio, AORN Dei Colli Ospedale V. Monaldi, Napoli; Maurizio Isalberti, Ospedale Regionale di Lugano, Svizzera; Roberto Moccaldi, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Roma; Antonio Orlacchio, Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata, Roma; Simone Panci, Ospedale San Giovanni di Dio, Firenze; Emanuela Piccaluga, Ospedale Niguarda Cà Granda, Milano; Ennio C. L. Pisanò, AO V. Fazzi, Lecce; Anella Rizzo, AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza, Torino; Roberto Ropolo, AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza, Torino; Sandro Sandri, ENEA Centro Ricerche Frascati, Roma; Luciano Soldini, ASL RME, Roma; Federico Zappoli Thyrion, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia.

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Correspondence to Gaetano Compagnone.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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The members of Italian Working Group on Interventional Radiology composed by representatives of scientific and professional societies are listed in acknowledgement section.

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Compagnone, G., Padovani, R., D’Avanzo, M.A. et al. Summary of the Italian inter-society recommendations for radiation protection optimization in interventional radiology. Radiol med 123, 378–384 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-017-0849-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-017-0849-0

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