Radiation Exposure to Personnel Obtaining Equine Appendicular Radiographs Using a Handheld Generator

Knowledge of radiation exposure in equine radiography is very limited. A study evaluating operator exposure confirmed the benefits of shielding, but exposure to personnel holding cassettes was not evaluated. This is an analytic study with the objective to measure and compare radiation exposures to personnel using a handheld generator with and without lead shielding. A cadaveric hindlimb was suspended to mimic standing position. Two dosimeters were placed at each of six locations from the generator and cassette to mimic locations of hands, trunk, and thyroid of personnel. At each location, one dosimeter was unshielded and the other was shielded. Six anatomic projections were performed, including lateromedial projections of the foot, metatarsophalangeal joint, tarsus, and stifle, as well as caudolateral–craniomedial oblique and caudocranial stifle projections. Comparisons between radiographer versus cassette holder exposure values were compared using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Exposure was significantly (P < .05) higher for the holder than for the radiographer. Proper shielding techniques and as low as reasonably achievable principles should always be applied with use of handheld generators and cassettes to lower the risk of adverse radiation effects.