Download the radiology trifecta - Atlanta Society of Radiologic Technologists

THE MEDICAL IMAGING TRIFECTA
Stewart Carlyle Bushong, ScD, FAAPM, FACR
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas
We the people of Radiology in order to provide a more perfect diagnosis,
reduce patient radiation dose, control occupational radiation exposure, and
produce a most diagnostic image do ordain and establish The Medical
Imaging Trifecta. Sports enthusiasts recognize trifecta as a horse racing
term and more recently introduced by Dick Vitale as a basketball term of
accomplishment.
In this refresher course The Medical Imaging Trifecta – reduce patient
radiation dose, control occupational radiation exposure, and produce a most
diagnostic image – will be discussed for each of the four major imaging
modalities – computed tomography, nuclear medicine, radiography, and
interventional radiology.
Each of the imaging modalities presents a different challenge to meeting The
Medical Imaging Trifecta and the result is a three by four matrix or twelve
cells, each with specific information.
Special emphasis is placed on the largest single source of radiation exposure
– radon-222 – and the largest source of medical radiation exposure –
computed tomography imaging. A careful review of the 2008 NCRP Report
No. 160 “Ionizing Radiation Exposure of the Population of the United
States” is presented.
Objectives: At the end of this presentation the attendee will …
1. be able to identify the various sources of human radiation exposure
and the relative intensity of each source.
2. have an understanding of the source of patient radiation dose for each
imaging modality and how to manage this dose.
3. learn tools and techniques attendant to each imaging modality for
reducing patient radiation dose without compromising image quality.
4. receive clinical information on how to improve image quality for each
imaging modality
5. be able to apply the cardinal principles of radiation protection – time,
distance, shielding – during any imaging procedure to reduce
physician and technologist occupational radiation exposure
NOTE: This presentation is available for any and all. I will leave it on the
conference computer for you to copy if you wish. Otherwise send to me or
leave me with a flash drive and your address and I’ll load this onto it and
return it to you. Feel free to use any of the information as you wish and
acknowledgement is not necessary.