[Radiation exposure in radiological clinics. General remarks].

Radiation exposure has not been a source of major concern since the early days of radiology. However, with recent developments in interventional radiology (IVR), radiation injuries to the patient's skin and lens injuries in interventionists have begun attracting attention. I was elected to the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and have been involved together with other members in the preparation of a draft entitled "Avoidance of Radiation Injuries from Medical Interventional Procedures." This document, published in the summer of 2001 as Publication 85, can be summarized in the following three major points: 1) The risk of radiation injury should be explained to the patient prior to IVR (informed consent). 2) Protocols should be prepared to define the number of images to be taken and the fluoroscopy time for each procedure of IVR so that standard radiation doses can be calculated. The radiation dose for each patient can be estimated by referring to these standard doses. 3) If the estimated radiation dose to the patient's skin exceeds 3 Gy (1 Gy for procedures likely to be repeated), the site and dose of radiation given should be recorded in the patient's record. If the dose is more than 3 Gy, the patient should be followed up 10 to 14 days after the procedure.