Assessme
Assessment
of Safety and Exposure Conditions during Obstetric Ultrasound at King Abulaziz
University Hospital
Sarah Kamal Hagi
Department of Radiology,
King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Abstract: Purpose: The objective of this
study was to measure and evaluate machine output indices during obstetric scans
at a local public hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at
the Radiology Department of King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), Jeddah,
between September and October 2011. The machine settings, including the thermal
index (TI) and mechanical index (MI) as well as scan times were recorded during
obstetric ultrasound examinations. Data were analyzed using the Statistical
Package for the Social Sciences. Independent t-test and one-way ANOVA were used
to compare continuous variables. Results: A total of 347
scans were studied. Most of them were performed in pulsed Doppler mode (n=176 ;
50.7%). Examination scan times varied between 1 to 27 minutes. The highest
recorded TI value was 2.1, with mean ± SD of 0.81 ± 0.53 for examinations that
lasted less than 15 minutes. The highest TI and MI values were observed during
pulse Doppler.Conclusion: Thermal index values are within
recommended safety guidelines. However, MI values sometimes exceed 1 and
exposure times should be monitored to restrict the occurrence of any biologic
effects due to ultrasound waves.
[Sarah Kamal Hagi. Assessment of Safety and
Exposure Conditions during Obstetric Ultrasound at King Abulaziz University
Hospital. J Am Sci 2012;8(10):287-290].
(ISSN: 1545-1003).http://www.jofamericanscience.org. 42
Keywords: Mechanical index, obstetric ultrasound, thermal
index, ultrasound bioeffects Full Text 42
