Programme for reducing the risk factors due to prenatal exposure

When a patient is not aware of her pregnancy, the foetus/embryo may be inadvertently irradiated during a diagnostic exploration or therapeutic intervention. The radiosensitivity of the foetus/embryo changes during the different periods of gestation. For this reason there are different risk factors for each moment at which the patient may suffer irradiation. In the past 7 years, the Department of Radiophysics and Radiation Protection has been consulted 75 times for this reason, to evaluate the dose received in the uterus. Since the establishment of a programme to avoid inadvertent irradiation of the foetus/embryo, these consultations have been reduced. This programme is based on informing the patients and on training the medical staff. (author)