From the Guidelines
A normal angiogram typically exposes a patient to approximately 5-15 millisieverts (mSv) of radiation. This estimate is based on the most recent and highest quality studies, including 1, which reports that the effective dose for coronary CTA can range from 10 to 14 mSv with ECG-triggered tube-current modulation. For comparison, this is roughly equivalent to 2-5 years of natural background radiation exposure.
The actual dose depends on several factors including:
- The complexity of the procedure
- Patient size
- Equipment used
- The radiologist's technique As noted in 1, cardiac angiograms tend to deliver higher doses (around 7-15 mSv) than peripheral angiograms (typically 5-10 mSv).
While this radiation exposure carries a small theoretical risk of cancer induction, the immediate diagnostic benefit usually far outweighs this risk for patients with suspected vascular disease. Medical facilities work to minimize radiation exposure through:
- Proper equipment calibration
- Limiting fluoroscopy time
- Using radiation-reducing techniques, such as ECG-controlled tube-current modulation, which can decrease radiation dose by 25% to 45% 1. Patients don't need special preparation regarding radiation, but those who have multiple radiological procedures should keep track of their cumulative exposure and discuss concerns with their healthcare provider.
From the Research
Radiation Exposure in Angiogram
- The amount of radiation exposure in a normal angiogram is not directly stated in the provided studies.
- However, it is mentioned that Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) utilizes ionizing radiation 2, 3.
- The use of ionizing radiation in CTA is a limitation, especially when compared to Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) which does not use ionizing radiation 3, 4.
- The studies focus on the comparison of CTA and MRA in terms of diagnostic performance, accuracy, and technical aspects, but do not provide specific information on the amount of radiation exposure in a normal angiogram.
- It can be inferred that CTA, which uses ionizing radiation, may expose patients to a certain level of radiation, but the exact amount is not specified in the provided studies 2, 3, 5, 6, 4.