Despite a number of efforts being put into the radiological protection of both patient and staff during interventional radiological (IR) procedures during recent years, information about radiation exposure during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedures remains scarce. The purpose of this study was to estimate both patient and staff radiation doses during therapeutic ERCP procedures by direct measurement and to compare these results with data from other IR procedures. For 54 patients, effective dose and skin dose were estimated by measuring the dose-area product. For staff, entrance surface doses to the lens of the eye, thyroid and hands were estimated by thermoluminescent dosemeters. A median effective dose of 7.3 mSv and a median entrance surface dose of 271 mGy per procedure were estimated for patients. The gastroenterologist received a median dose of 0.34 mGy to the lens of the eye, 0.30 mGy to the skin at the level of the thyroid and 0.44 mGy to the skin of the hands, per procedure. When comparing the dosimetric quantities presented in this study with data from other IR procedures, it is clear that patient skin doses and doses to staff are high owing to the use of inappropriate X-ray equipment. ERCP requires the same radiation protection practice as all IR procedures. It should be consistently included in future multicentre IR patient and staff dose survey studies at national or international level.

No abstract

This large international radiation dose survey demonstrates considerable reduction of radiation exposure in coronary CTA during the last decade. However, the large inter-site variability in radiation exposure underlines the need for further site-specific training and adaptation of contemporary cardiac scan protocols.

The radiation dose of a standard micro-CT scan is relatively high and could influence the experimental outcome. We believe that the presented adaptation of the scan protocol allows for accurate imaging without the risk of interfering with the experimental outcome of the study.

Poppe et al. An Inside Perspective on Magma Intrusion KEYPOINTS -Cutting-edge dynamic wide beam X-ray Computed Tomography and Digital Volume Correlation allows an inside view on the temporal behavior of analog magma intrusion in granular host material in laboratory experiments. -Intrusion-induced 3D displacement and strain can be quantified over time. -Thick cryptodomes form with distributed strain and mixedmode fracturing in weak host materials. -Thin dikes form with localized strain and opening-mode fracturing in strong host materials. -A continuum of cone sheet geometries occurs in between these end-members. Frontiers in Earth Science | www.frontiersin.org

It is known that medical applications using ionising radiation are wide spread and still increasing. Physicians, technicians, nurses and others constitute the largest group of workers occupationally exposed to man-made sources of radiation. Many hospital workers are consequently subjected to routine monitoring of professional radiation exposures. in the university hospital, UZ Brussel, 600 out of 4000 staff members are daily monitored for external radiation exposures. The most obvious applications of ionising radiation are diagnostic radiology, diagnostic or therapeutic use of radionuclides in nuclear medicine and external radiation therapy or brachytherapy in radiotherapy departments. Other important applications also include various procedures in interventional radiology (IR), in vitro biomedical research and radiopharmaceutical production around cyclotrons. Besides the fact that many of the staff members, involved in these applications, are not measurably exposed, detailed studies were carried out at workplaces where routine dose monitoring encounters difficulties and for some applications where relatively high occupational exposures can be found. most of the studies are concentrated around nuclear medicine applications and IR. They contain assessments of both effective dose and doses at different parts of the body. The results contribute to better characterisation of the different workplaces in a way that critical applications can be identified. Moreover, conclusions point out future needs for practical routine dose monitoring and optimisation of radiation protection.

Exia 160 allows rapid spleen and liver enhancement. The high iodine content results in small injection volumes.

Multidetector CT angiography (CTA) has become a widely accepted examination for non-invasive evaluation of the heart and coronary arteries. Despite its ongoing success and worldwide clinical implementation, it remains an often-challenging procedure in which image quality, and hence diagnostic value, is determined by both technical and patient-related factors. Thorough knowledge of these factors is important to obtain high-quality examinations. In this review, we discuss several key elements that may adversely affect coronary CTA image quality as well as potential measures that can be taken to mitigate their impact. In addition, several recent vendor-specific advances and future directions to improve image quality are discussed. INTRODUCTIONThe high negative-predictive value of coronary CT angiography (CTA) makes it a suitable tool for excluding significant coronary artery disease.1 Coronary CTA is technically complex and places a greater emphasis on scanning technologies than any other type of CT examination. Indeed, coronary arteries both have small calibre and varying degrees of motion during the cardiac cycle.2 Image quality can be degraded by many patient-and technique-related factors. Image artefacts are causes for misinterpretation, making the diagnostic accuracy of coronary CTA to a great extent dependent on their recognition and operator-awareness.2,3 Potential problems related to these artefacts include insufficient tissue contrast, limited spatial and temporal resolution and inadequate volume coverage. The aim of this review was to discuss these technical issues, important recent vendorspecific solutions as well as future directions.