Validation and initial clinical use of automatic peak skin dose localization with fluoroscopic and interventional procedures.

Purpose: To assess the accuracy and initial clinical use of a software tool that automatically maps and records values of skin dose, including peak skin dose (PSD), administered to patients undergoing fluoroscopically guided interventional procedures.

Materials And Methods: In this retrospective study, the institutional review board determined that this HIPAA-compliant study met the criteria as a quality assurance investigation. Informed consent was waived.

Informatics in radiology: Efficiency metrics for imaging device productivity.

Acute awareness of the costs associated with medical imaging equipment is an ever-present aspect of the current healthcare debate. However, the monitoring of productivity associated with expensive imaging devices is likely to be labor intensive, relies on summary statistics, and lacks accepted and standardized benchmarks of efficiency. In the context of the general Six Sigma DMAIC (design, measure, analyze, improve, and control) process, a World Wide Web-based productivity tool called the Imaging Exam Time Monitor was developed to accurately and remotely monitor imaging efficiency with use of Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) combined with a picture archiving and communication system.

An automated DICOM database capable of arbitrary data mining (including radiation dose indicators) for quality monitoring.

The U.S. National Press has brought to full public discussion concerns regarding the use of medical radiation, specifically x-ray computed tomography (CT), in diagnosis.

Automatic monitoring of localized skin dose with fluoroscopic and interventional procedures.

This software tool locates and computes the intensity of radiation skin dose resulting from fluoroscopically guided interventional procedures. It is comprised of multiple modules. Using standardized body specific geometric values, a software module defines a set of male and female patients arbitarily positioned on a fluoroscopy table.