This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kotre, C J Articles by Thornley, M Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kotre, C J Articles by Thornley, M

Application of low dose rate pulsed fluoroscopy in cardiac pacing and electrophysiology: patient dose and image quality implications

¹ Regional Medical Physics Department, Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE4 6BE and ² Cardiology X-ray Department, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE7 7DN, UK

The performance of a low dose rate pulsed fluoroscopy option and its successful application to cardiac pacing and electrophysiology is reported. Low dose rate 6.25 frames per second pulsed fluoroscopy was made available in two catheter laboratories at a specialist cardiac centre in February 2003, and was adopted as the standard imaging technique for cardiac pacing procedures. The image quality was found to be considerably poorer than conventional modern units, being very similar to that which would have been accepted as adequate performance 20 years ago, but at less than one-tenth of the dose rate. No problems with the clinical acceptance of this imaging mode for cardiac pacing and electrophysiology have been reported. The already low median patient dose–area product for pacing at this cardiac centre was further reduced by 50% with the introduction of this fluoroscopy option.