Review of existing issues and practices with respect to irradiation of patients and staff during pregnancy.

A number of ethical issues concerning the irradiation of patients and staff during pregnancy are presented and discussed. A review of existing practices in 13 European countries was carried out, by sending a questionnaire to each country. From the review, it was found that the existing practices with respect to irradiation of patients and staff during pregnancy in various European countries vary enormously. There is no harmonisation on this issue at a European level. From the review of practices, a number of conclusions were drawn.