Interventional cardiology procedures can involve potentially
high doses of radiation to the patients. Stochastic effects of ionising
radiation – radiation-induced cancers in the long term – may occur.
We analysed clinical characteristics and dosimetric data in a population
of patients undergoing interventional cardiology. In all, 1 591
patients who had undergone coronarography and/or angioplasty in
the course of a year at the Saint-Gatien Clinic in Tours (France)
were included. Information on patients’ individual clinical characteristics
and Dose-Area Product values were collected. Organ doses to the
lung, oesophagus, bone marrow and breast were mathematically evaluated.
The median age of patients was 70 years. Their median cumulative
dose-area product value was 48.4 Gy.cm2 for the whole
year and the median effective dose was 9.7 mSv. The median organ
doses were 41 mGy for the lung, 31 mGy for the oesophagus, 10 mGy
for the bone marrow and 4 mGy for the breast. Levels of doses close
to the heart appear to be rather high in the case of repeated interventional
cardiology procedures. Clinical characteristics should be taken
into account when planning epidemiological studies on potential radiation-induced
cancers.