Association of radiation-induced epilation and interventional neuroradiology procedures.

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study is to quantify the association of temporary epilation following interventional neuroradiology (INR) procedures and compare the peak skin dose (D) threshold to published values.

METHODS

Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH) is a major centre for INR with over 500 primarily interventional procedures performed every year. D is calculated when the reference air kerma (K) exceeds 3 Gy. If the D exceeds 3 Gy, the patient is followed up for any skin effects. An audit was undertaken of these results over a 2-year period.

RESULTS

From January 2020 to December 2021, 140 patients who underwent INR procedures had a K > 3 Gy, 66 resulted in a calculated D >3 Gy, and 45 were successfully followed up. Twenty patients (44%) reported no skin effects and 25 (56%) reported skin effects, which were almost exclusively epilation. The mean (range) D for patients with no reported skin effects and those with observed skin effects was 4.6 Gy (3.0-11.1 Gy) and 4.2 Gy (3.0-7.0 Gy), respectively.

CONCLUSION

These results demonstrate that temporary epilation was observed in 56% of patients, in a cohort of 45 patients who underwent an INR procedure with calculated D >3 Gy and successful follow-up. The results support evidence in the literature that suggests the approximate threshold for temporary epilation reported by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) may be too high for incidence of this effect, specifically on the scalp, when D is calculated from K (using commonly used corrections and assumptions in the calculation).