A Comparison of Radiation Exposure During Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) by Different Fluoroscope Techniques

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a relatively new endoscopic procedure combined with fluoroscopy that is performed for multiple diagnostic and therapeutic indications. It carries a known risk of radiation exposure to patients and staff. We aimed to examine radiation administration techniques and to measure the radiation dose delivered by these techniques. This was a retrospective analysis of 437 ERCP procedures performed at a tertiary care hospital between April 2015 and April 2017. A total of 437 ERCP procedural charts were reviewed: fluoroscopy administration was endoscopist controlled (EC, n = 187, 42.79%) or technician controlled (TC, n = 250, 57.21%). The mean (and SD) fluoroscopy time (FT) was 2.107 ± 2.0 minutes. The mean (and SD) dose–area product (DAP) was 15,227.371 ± 16,784.738 Gy·cm2. The degree of ERCP difficulty was evaluated as recommended by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and graded 1–4. Level I TC procedures had a mean FT and DAP of 1.600 minutes and 12,644.72 Gy·cm2, respectively. The FT and DAP values for level I EC procedures were 1.514 minutes and 12,966.71 Gy·cm2, respectively, as compared with level IV TC procedures (mean FT, 2.539 minutes; mean DAP, 19,469.94 Gy·cm2) and level IV EC procedures (mean FT, 4.890 minutes; mean DAP, 37,921.00 Gy·cm2). DAP and FT are increased significantly in EC ERCP in American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy 4 procedures. Comparison of the different degrees of difficulty indicated that there is a linear correlation between the degree of difficulty and both FT and DAP.