Dose reduction in fluoroscopic and interventional radiologic procedures

This paper reports on a search for ways to reduce radiation exposure in fluoroscopy and interventional radiologic procedures. The authors have evaluated various parameters, shielding devices, and exposure procedures. In particular, they have studied the effects of various filters. It is possible to design a special filter that can modify the low-energy part of the x-ray spectrum, reducing both the patient's exposure and scattered radiation by 30%-40% without losing image quality. Using special phantoms and the experimental filter, they have determined quantitatively the changes in the contrast-detail curve, as well as the slight increase in noise