American College of Radiology White Paper on Radiation Dose in Medicine

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jacr.2007.03.002 Byline: E. Stephen Amis (a), Priscilla F. Butler (b), Kimberly E. Applegate (c), Steven B. Birnbaum (d), Libby F. Brateman (e), James M. Hevezi (f), Fred A. Mettler (g), Richard L. Morin (h), Michael J. Pentecost (i), Geoffrey G. Smith (j), Keith J. Strauss (k), Robert K. Zeman (l) Keywords: Radiation dose; radiation safety; radiation risk; radiation exposure; radiations; exposure to patients and personnel Abstract: The benefits of diagnostic imaging are immense and have revolutionized the practice of medicine. The increased sophistication and clinical efficacy of imaging have resulted in its dramatic growth over the past quarter century. Although data derived from the atomic bomb survivors in Japan and other events suggest that the expanding use of imaging modalities using ionizing radiation may eventually result in an increased incidence of cancer in the exposed population, this problem can likely be minimized by preventing the inappropriate use of such imaging and by optimizing studies that are performed to obtain the best image quality with the lowest radiation dose. The ACR, which has been an advocate for radiation safety since its inception in 1924, convened the ACR Blue Ribbon Panel on Radiation Dose in Medicine to address these issues. This white paper details a proposed action plan for the college derived from the deliberations of that panel. Author Affiliation: (a) Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY. (b) American College of Radiology, Reston, Va. (c) Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis, Ind. (d) Associated Radiologists, P.A., Nashua, NH. (e) University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Fla. (f) South Texas Radio Surgery Associates, San Antonio, Tex. (g) New Mexico Federal Regional Medical Center, Albuquerque, NM. (h) Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Fla. (i) Kaiser Permanente, Washington, DC. (j) Casper Medical Imaging, Casper, Wyo. (k) Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, Mass. (l) George Washington University, Washington, DC.