Answer to Question #13516 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Medical and Dental Patient Issues

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

Q

I am doing an audit on radiation doses from fluoroscopy. Some of the entrance skin doses (ESD) appear high to me. I wanted to seek an opinion to know how dangerous doses in the region between 100 mGy (0.1 Gy) to 500 mGy (0.5 Gy) from a single examination could be.

A

There are different thresholds for different deterministic effects. For fluoroscopy, skin injury is the effect of concern. The threshold for a transient erythema reaction is between 2 and 5 Gy skin dose and the redness would appear within two weeks. Skin doses greater than 5 Gy may result in a second erythema reaction or epilation that appears between two and eight weeks. For a single exam with a dose up to 0.5 Gy, there is no risk of skin injury. An article in Radiology discusses deterministic effects associated with fluoroscopically guided interventions.

Deirdre H. Elder, MS, CHP, CMLSO

Ask the Experts is posting answers using only SI (the International System of Units) in accordance with international practice. To convert these to traditional units we have prepared a conversion table. You can also view a diagram to help put the radiation information presented in this question and answer in perspective. Explanations of radiation terms can be found here.
Answer posted on 18 June 2020. The information posted on this web page is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may affect the applicability of concepts, materials, and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice. To the best of our knowledge, answers are correct at the time they are posted. Be advised that over time, requirements could change, new data could be made available, and Internet links could change, affecting the correctness of the answers. Answers are the professional opinions of the expert responding to each question; they do not necessarily represent the position of the Health Physics Society.