Sunday, December 7, 2014

Eye dose monitoring of PET/CT staff


Eye dose monitoring of PET/CT workers.
Authors: Walsh C, O'Connor U, O'Reilly G

QUESTION: does eye radiation dose exposure need to be measured in PET/CT workers?

METHODS: a newly designed dosimeter was used to measure eye dose.

RESULTS: radiographers received the highest exposure of the staff groups studied, with the highest receiving an exposure of 0.5 mSv over the 3-month survey period. The estimated maximum eye dose for 1 year is approximately 2 mSv. A conservative estimate of eye dose can be made as being up to approximately twice the numeric value for whole-body dose.

CONCLUSION: Routine whole-body dose measurements may be a useful starting point for assessing whether eye dose monitoring should be prioritized in a PET facility.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: Following the proposal of a reduced eye dose limit, this article provides new measurement data on staff eye doses for PET/CT workers.


Br J Radiol. 2014 Oct;87(1042):20140373

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Does Your Home Need a UPS?

As a user of advanced medical imaging equipment, I'm a believer in steady, reliable power for both my imaging equipment and computers. What is important to note, is that the batteries in UPS units eventually need to be replaced, maybe every 2 or 3 years.Currently, I use APC units, however, am impressed with some of the new players in this area, and currently am looking at CyberPower.

Home equipment also deserves to have the power supply regulated with a UPS unit. We have one for our TV and others for our office workstations.

Monday, November 10, 2014

Should my lung lesion be surgically removed?

BACKGROUND: it is common for people to have multiple primary lung cancers with ground-glass opacity. How should these lesions be managed medically?

RESULTS: this is a case report of a 62y M with 7 lesions in the lung field. High resolution CT was performed along with F-18 FDG PET/CT imaging.

CONCLUSION: the authors found that using FDG PET/CT in addition to high resolution CT helped determine the most appropriate surgical strategy in managing multifocal lung adenocarcinoma.

Ann Thorac Surg. 2014 May;97(5):e151-3.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Obamacare sends health premiums skyrocketing

For young adults, men are seeing an average 78.2 percent price increase
in their health insurance, and women having their
premiums rise 44.9 percent, according to a recent report by HealthPocket, as reported by the Washington Times.



Obamacare sends health premiums skyrocketing by as much as 78 percent - Washington Times