What is the radiation exposure to patients during a gynecoradiologic procedure?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the risk of radiation exposure to infertility patients during a gynecoradiologic procedure.

DESIGN: Retrospective clinical study.

SETTING: Medical school-affiliated infertility center.

PATIENT(S): Three hundred thirty-two consecutive infertility patients undergoing a gynecoradiologic procedure.

INTERVENTION(S): Patients underwent a gynecoradiologic procedure as part of their infertility workup and the fluoroscopic exposure time was analyzed.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The fluoroscopic exposure (rad time) during gynecoradiologic procedures, including hysterosalpingogram (HSG), selective salpingography, tubal catheterization, and others.

RESULT(S): The rad time (mean +/- SD) was 63 +/- 54 seconds for normal HSG (n = 94, range 17 to 404 seconds), 100 +/- 61 seconds for abnormal HSG (n = 53, range 28 to 272 seconds), 111 +/- 57 seconds for unilateral selective salpingography (n = 36, range 31 to 324 seconds), 142 +/- 74 seconds for bilateral selective salpingography (n = 87, range 40 to 430 seconds), 176 +/- 77 seconds for unilateral tubal catheterization (n = 27, range 70 to 342 seconds), and 239 +/- 82 seconds for bilateral tubal catheterization (n = 30, range 110 to 381 seconds). Five patients had other procedures, such as lysis of intrauterine adhesions (n = 2) and resection of an uterine septum (n = 3), for which the rad time was in a range of 180 to 300 seconds.

CONCLUSION(S): The radiation exposure of patients during a gynecoradiologic procedure, using previously described standard techniques, is well within established margins of safety.