A Health Care Personnel Guide For Assessing Radiation Risk And Selecting Imaging Procedures In Pregnant Women Easy-print edition of this Guide

This reference material is for use by medical staff affiliated with Brigham and Women's Hospital only. It is designed to inform your decision-making as you determine individual risks associated with medical imaging and communicate with your patients. It should not be interpreted as medical advice, nor is it necessarily germane to institutions using other imaging protocols. Patients with questions regarding these issues should speak directly with their caregivers. An additional resource is the Ask the Experts-Pregnancy and Radiation module of the Health Physics Society: http://www.hps.org
Introduction

Pregnant patients are occasionally exposed to ionizing radiation in the course of their treatment. When a diagnostic imaging procedure is being considered, the benefits of that procedure, i.e., the value of the diagnostic information gained, should be weighed against the risk of radiation exposure received by the fetus and mother. Radiation exposure information is often limited, outdated, unavailable, or confusing. This undoubtedly leads to uninformed decisions on the appropriateness/risks of the exam, and apprehension for both patient and staff. The purpose of this guide is to educate and inform referring physicians contemplating a radiology exam that involves ionizing radiation in a pregnant patient.

Contributing Authors:

  • Frank P Castronovo, Jr, PhD, FACR, Director, Health Physics and Radiopharmacology
  • Stuart G Silverman, MD, Director, Abdominal Imaging and Intervention; Director, CT Scan; Director, Cross-sectional Interventional Service, Radiology
  • Richard Nawfel, MS, Medical Physicist, Radiology
  • Philip F Judy, PhD, Director, Radiologic Physics
  • Robert Schleipman, RT, CNMT, Instructor, Health Physics and Radiopharmacology
  • Matthew Schenker, MD, Resident Physician, Radiology
  • Joshua Rosebrook, MD, Resident Physician, Radiology