Alfonsa Friera Reyes, head of Professional Affairs at SERAM and head of the Radiodiagnosis Service at the La Princesa University Hospital in Madrid.
Societies of Medical Physics (SEFM), Radiological Protection (SEPR) and the Spanish Society of Medical Radiology (SERAM) have launched a triptych where a series of recommendations are established on the use of protectors in radiological examinations. In fact, in this new European consensus guide, the main novelty is that “it is not necessary to use contact shielding to carry out tests with ionizing radiation“, according Alfonsa Friera Reyeshead of Professional Affairs at SERAM and head of the Radiodiagnosis Service at the Hospital Universitario de La Princesa in Madrid.
The expert points out that “even, in some cases, this supposed protection might suppose a increased dose to the patient or limit the vision of areas of interest”. However, Friera Reyes assures that “the doses used in diagnostic examinations do not reach the limits of dangerous doses for patients in any case”. In addition, he adds that “the negative effect (the possible increase in the occurrence of radiation-induced cancer) is a probabilistic effect. The important thing is that this minimal risk do not assume when the test is not going to add value, it would not make sense to expose ourselves to a risk without a clear benefit”.
For Friera Reyes “all the tests that use ionizing radiation to diagnose are safe and its risk is acceptable when the result of them will change the treatment or the evolution of the disease”. That is, “if the result of the test does not provide relevant information or will not lead to a change in the treatment of the patient, it does not have sense to take the risk (however small) of its realization”.
For all these reasons, Friera Reyes stresses that, in order to try to reduce the risk of radiation in patients“the National Health System (SNS) should put more emphasis on tactics that avoid unnecessary testing, whether due to lack of knowledge, pressure from patients or defensive practices.”
Population groups most sensitive to radiation
As for which population groups can most affect the radiationFriera Reyes details that “the child population and pregnant women (embryo or fetus carried by the mother) are more sensitive to radiation“. Despite this, the expert adds that “it is even more important to be sure that the test is necessary before subjecting these patients to them. If it is necessary to do them, the risk is assumable. In the case of pregnant women, when the examination involves the abdominal cavity and it is essential that it be done, a dosimetric report will be made with the estimate of the dose that the embryo or fetus has received”.
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“The best protection is to do only what is necessary, that which results in a change in the evolution of the disease” |
In most cases, “this dose is within established limits.” But Friera Reyes insists that “the best protection is to do only what is necessary, that which results in a change in the disease progression“. Still, “there are other types of energy that are used in diagnosis, but not all pathologies are identified with them”. For this reason, “work is being done to make the equipment more efficient and require lower doses of radiation to achieve a diagnosis”.
The radiation risk is less than the benefit of the diagnosis
Friera Reyes clarifies that “the patients, or the parents of the patients, must be sure that the risk produced by the radiation dose they receive to get diagnostic information regarding your disease is much less than the benefit of obtaining it”. Also, “the use of external shields does not reduce this small risk, but may even cause an unnecessary increase in the administered dose and may limit the identification of the areas covered by the shield “.
In short, “the indication of a test with ionizing radiation It is the task of the doctor who treats you and before requesting it, he will have made an assessment of the risk once morest the benefit”, he concludes.
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