Effective dose during abdominal three-dimensional imaging with a flat-panel detector angiography system.

The purpose of this study was to measure the effective dose during abdominal three-dimensional imaging obtained with an angiography unit with a digital flat-panel system on a phantom and to determine dose-area product (DAP)-to-effective dose conversion factors. DAPs and effective doses were evaluated for 163-cm-tall human-shaped phantoms with estimated body weights of 54, 64, and 77 kg, and the effective doses were 2.1, 3.2, and 4.2 mSv, respectively. The DAP-to-effective dose conversion factors were 0.28-0.29 mSv x Gy(-1) x cm(-2). In conclusion, the DAPs were useful for estimating the effective dose during abdominal three-dimensional angiographic imaging.