Speaker
Description
Fetal exposure to ionising radiation during diagnostic and international radiology procedures and radiotherapy procedures poses potential risks when performed on pregnant patients. According to the European Basic Safety Standards (EU BSS), particular attention must be given to both the justification and optimisation of medical exposures in pregnancy, ensuring that procedures are conducted with due consideration for the safety of both the mother and the developing fetus.
This project aims to improve the accuracy of fetal dose estimation in diagnostic and interventional radiology (DIR) and radiotherapy (RT), thereby enhancing optimisation processes and strengthening risk–benefit communication with patients. The research focuses on: (1) developing physical phantoms representing different stages of pregnancy; (2) constructing a library of personalized computational phantoms derived from CT and MR images of pregnant patients, along with a method to select the most suitable phantom based on clinical parameters; (3) investigating fetal dose levels and dosimetry methods across various DIR procedures, RT techniques, and patient anatomies, including imaging contributions in RT workflows; (4) identifying and analysing key factors influencing fetal dose estimation accuracy in current clinical practice, to establish guidance that reduces variability and supports personalized optimisation; and (5) developing and validating a clinical tool for individualized fetal dose estimation in proton RT.
The project will culminate in the creation of a good practice guide for fetal dose estimation in pregnant or potentially pregnant patients undergoing radiological or radiotherapy procedures. Ethical aspects related to fetal dose and associated risks will be critically assessed to promote informed and transparent communication, ultimately contributing to improved patient care and radiological protection standards.
| Preferovaná sekcia | RTG diagnostika, rádioterapia a nukleárna medicína |
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