Re: Another medical dose que

["Mike Bohan" <mike.bohan@yale.edu>]

        Reply to:   RE>Another medical dose question

Hi Steve;

The typical tabletop dose rates of a special procedure varies from 2 - 10
Rad/minute depending on patient size.  Larger patients require larger dose rates
to be adequately penetrated.  During cine runs and special high output fluoro
runs, dose rates can go as high as 20 Rad/minute! (See recent FDA warnings). 
Typical cardiology procedures use between 15 - 30 minutes of fluoro time,
complicated cases can go to much longer times.  I'll leave the math to you, but
as you can surmize the doses can be considerable and close to "therapeutic
levels".  If fact, the FDA warning asked physicians to be on the lookout for
skin erythema effects in these special cases!  

One interesting side note, a hot research topic is the use of radiation sources,
either permanent or temporary implants to irradiate the walls of arteries after
they've been cleared out by balloon angioplasty.  The irradiation is believed to
be able to prevent repair cell proliferation after angioplasty.  This would
solve one of the major problems, namely restenosis (closing) of the coronary
arteries after balloon angioplasty.  So, although the doses from conventional
angioplasty may be high, there may be some hormetic effects in there somewhere!

Since I see your in the NRC, wait till you see these applications for human use!

P.S. - What's with all these medical dosimetry questions!  Are you guys studying
for Parts I & II, out there or what???!!!  See you in Seattle! 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
Michael J. Bohan, RSO   |  e-mail: mike.bohan@yale.edu
Yale-New Haven Hospital |    Tele: (203) 785-2950
Radiological Physics    |     FAX: (203) 737-4252
20 York St. - WWW 204   |    As usual, everything I say may be plausibly
New Haven, CT    06504  |    denied at my employer's convenience ...
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--------------------------------------
Date: 01/07/96 11:26 AM
To: Mike Bohan
From: radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu
Does anyone know the typical patient dose from a coronary angiogram or a
coronary angioplasty?