Dr. Hilton Muniz presents class at SPR’s Study Group

Posted on: 2019-09-11

The September SPR’s Radiological Protection Study Group hosted a class on radioprotection and dose optimization, especially in CT. Presented by Dr. Hilton Muniz Leão Filho, Latin Safe’s president, the class was the same as the one presented at the Brazilian Congress of Medical Physics (CBFM), held from August 21 to 24, 2019.

One of Dr. Hilton’s main concerns – the “simple” connection between radiation and cancer – was part of the class agenda. According to him, the phrase “Radiation causes cancer” is not a totally appropriate concept, especially when considering the doses used in medicine, as it CAN cause (in some extreme cases) as well as treat – by radiotherapy – and even diagnose (detect), being one of the main objectives of imaging exams.

Featuring a specific article from 2011 he also talked about reducing lung cancer mortality, when the authors used low-dose CT scans to screen smoking patients. The fall was 20% between 1980 and 2006. Due to so many benefits, an increase in radiation is expected from these devices, as they play a relevant role in current medicine.

About optimization, he mentioned the following possibilities:

  • Positioning
  • Topogram
  • Pitch
  • Modulation (angular, longitudinal, mixed)
  • Kv and mAs (little explored)
  • Post Processing Techniques

He also stressed that is necessary to never lose the original objective: diagnosis, always trying to tailor the exam for this purpose. And finally, he emphasized the importance of the technologist and biomedical always working together with doctors and physicists for a well done exam.
The next meeting will be on October 7, 5:30 pm GMT. Participate online: http://bit.ly/latinsafe07-10-19

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