Establishment of diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) based on dose–area product (DAP) in cardiac angiography and angioplasty procedures

Motallebzadeh, Elham; Farhood, Bagher; Talakesh, Tamara; Ali asgharzade, Akbar; Ebrahimi, Muhammad Javad

doi:10.48307/FMSJ.2025.29.4.375

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Volume 29, Issue 4 (Bimonthly 2025)

Feyz Med Sci J 2025, 29(4): 375-385

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Establishment of diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) based on dose–area product (DAP) in cardiac angiography and angioplasty procedures

Elham Motallebzadeh

, Bagher Farhood

, Tamara Talakesh

, Akbar Ali asgharzade ^*

, Muhammad Javad Ebrahimi

Department of Medical Physics and Radiology, Faculty of Paramedical Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran , aaliasgharzade44@gmail.com

Abstract: (657 Views)

Background and Aim: Determining diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for radiation exposure indices is an effective approach for minimizing unnecessary patient exposure to ionizing radiation in various imaging procedures. This study aimed to measure the dose–area product (DAP) and establish local diagnostic reference levels (Local DRLs) for cardiac angiography and angioplasty.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 86 patients who underwent cardiac procedures at Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Kashan, in 2019 were evaluated. The DAP was recorded using a DAP meter (Model 77334, PTW, Germany). Demographic data, procedure type, fluoroscopy time, and other variables were collected. The mean and median DAP values were considered as local DRLs. Data were analyzed using independent t-tests by SPSS software.
Results: The DAP values ranged from 8.45 to 69.59 Gy·cm² for angiography and from 3.52 to 164.52 Gy·cm² for angioplasty. The local diagnostic reference levels (median DAP) were determined to be 20.2 Gy·cm² for angiography and 43.5 Gy·cm² for angioplasty.
Conclusion: The local DRLs obtained in this study for both procedures were lower than those reported in similar studies. This finding may indicate optimized radiation techniques and compliance with the ALARA principle (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) at the studied center.

Keywords: Angiography, Angioplasty, Dose–Area Product (DAP), Diagnostic Reference Level (DRL), Iran

Full-Text [PDF 443 kb] (135 Downloads)

Type of Study: Research | Subject: medicine, paraclinic
Received: 2025/04/21 | Revised: 2025/10/1 | Accepted: 2025/08/31 | Published: 2025/09/29

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Motallebzadeh E, Farhood B, Talakesh T, Ali asgharzade A, Ebrahimi M J. Establishment of diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) based on dose–area product (DAP) in cardiac angiography and angioplasty procedures. Feyz Med Sci J 2025; 29 (4) :375-385
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