An evaluation of the Victoreen NERO (Non-invasive Evaluation of Radiation Outputs)

There is increasing concern about the radiation dose received by patients and staff during diagnostic and interventional radiology. Significant reduction in dose can be achieved by, amongst other measurements, implementing a rigorous Quality Assurance (QA) program to optimize the performance of the x-ray equipment. Most QA programs require measurement of tube potential (kVp), exposure exposure rate. The development of non-invasive methods to measure the tube potential has facilitated the implementation of such programs since, unlike a voltage divider, connection to the high voltage circuit is not required. The Victorian NERO is one such instrument which measures quantities, including the average of the tube potential peaks (kVp Avg), exposure and exposure rate. We have determined, using a voltage divider, the accuracy of the kVp Avg measured by three NEROs in routine use, and studied the effect of added filteration on kVp Avg. In addition, the exposure and exposure rate accuracy of these NEROs was also determined using a digital exposure/exposure rate meter