Purpose: To show efficacy of realtime digital magnification of fluoroscopic and digital subtraction angiography images for dose reduction both of the medical personnel and the patient during segmental chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma.
Materials and methods: Thirty patients were randomized into two groups; chemoembolization was performed with digital magnification (group A; n = 15) or with shorter field of view (group B; n = 15). Dose area product was used as a convenient and reasonable analog of the patient dose. Medical personnel dose and dose area product were compared.
Results: Medical personnel dose and dose area product were 7.0 +/- 3.4 micro Sv and 71060 +/- 24653 cGy. cm(2)in group A, and 21.4 +/- 16.2 micro Sv and 110379 +/- 48065 cGy. cm(2) in group B, respectively. There were statistically significant differences in both the medical personnel dose (P =.002, Student t test) and the dose area product (P =.009, Student t test).
Conclusion: Digital magnification decreased the medical personnel dose by 67% and the patient dose by 36% during segmental chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma.