• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.441-445
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• 2012

X-ray Chest P-A is very important and basic diagnosis examination for pregnant women. For a pregnancy period pregnant women should be treated very carefully not to be exposed to any radiation which might cause harmful damage to women and babies as well. Lead apron is one of the effective methods to protect pregnant women from the X-ray radiation. However, it is difficult to obtain the accurate position of pregnant women during X-ray Chest P-A since conventional lead apron method forces pregnant women to hold the apron by themselves only to make pregnant women very uncomfortable and hard to maintain accurate position during radiation. As a consequence, it is common to get low quality images of X-ray Chest P-A due to the overlap of apex of lung and scapular. In order to fix this problem, we made new design lead apron that allowed pregnant women to be more comfortable to maintain accurate position during X-ray Chest P-A position. Finally, with this new design lead apron, it was possible to get the best optimized images of X-ray Chest P-A of pregnant women by minimizing overlapping apex of lung and scapular.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.207-212
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• 2015

When performing Chest x-ray examination to pregnant woman, normally we shield back side of abdomen. In this situation, scattered rays made by equipment and surrounding structure can enter front side of abdomen. Therefore, in this study, we evaluate suitability of abdomen shield especially to pregnant woman. In case of One shielding material placed back of abdomen, the measured value is $0.676{\pm}0.19uSv/hr$. Two shielding material is $0.764{\pm}0.04uSv/hr$. Three is $0.685{\pm}0.16uSv/hr$. The exposure dose inferred in this study does not excess annual effective dose limit. But It is not mean absolute safety. So we have to minimize occurrence of stochastic effect of radiosensitivity by shielding front side of abdomen of pregnant woman in clinic.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.223-229
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to present the reference values for cardiac size and cardiothoracic ratio change, normal range and diagnosis of cardiovascular disease in pregnancy and non pregnancy of normal Korean women using chest X-ray. The subjects of this study were 58 women, who were read as normal by chest radiologist, had chest radiography taken on both last month of pregnancy, pre-pregnancy and within 2 years following delivery. In this study, we defined the last month of pregnancy as pregnancy and before or post pregnancy as non-pregnancy. CS and CTR were measured by two radiological technologist who had clinical experience more ten years with Danzer's method. Statistical methods were paired t-test and one-way ANOVA. Significance level ${\alpha}$ was 0.05 and p-value 0.05 or less was statistically significant. For pregnancy, the mean of left and right cardiac size was $40.11{\pm}8.73mm$ and $89.51{\pm}11.9mm$, CS was $128.60{\pm}13.15mm$, CTR was $44.51{\pm}4.21%$. In non pregnancy, $36.50{\pm}8.18mm$ and $77.68{\pm}13.1mm$. CS and CTR were $114.18{\pm}14.28mm$ and $42.03{\pm}4.04%$. Both pregnancy and non pregnancy, the difference of the mean value in left and right cardiac size, CS and CTR were statistically significant (p<0.01). but comparing mean on age, height and weight, the difference of the mean value between groups was not (p>0.05). In the result of this study, the mean size of CS increased by 12.6% in pregnancy($128.60{\pm}13.15mm$) compared to the non pregnancy($114.18{\pm}14.28mm$), and increased by 9.8% in the right side of the heart and 15.2% in the left side. The mean size of CTR increased about 5.9% in pregnancy ($44.5{\pm}4.21%$) compared to non pregnancy($42.03{\pm}4.04%$).

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.375-380
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• 1995

The lymphangioleiomyomatosis(LAM) is a rare disorder, which afflicts mainly young woman of childbearing age, characterized by proliferation of immature smooth muscle cell in the lymphatics. We experienced a case of LAM in 26-years-old pregnant woman, confirmed pathologically by inguinal lymph node biopsy. She has suffered from exertonal dyspnea and dry coughing. The symptoms and chest X-ray were aggravated with pregnancy, but improved after delivery with two times of pregnancy. The chest X-ray showed diffuse reticulonodular infiltration and chest HRCT showed diffuse scattered tiny thin-walled cyst of lung parenchyma. We noted chylous ascites of which triglyceride level is 396 mg/dl. After delivery, the symptoms were getting better. We treated with medroxyprogesterone and planned close observation and follow-up.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.155-164
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• 2002

Methodology to evaluate the effective doses to adults undergoing various diagnostic x-ray examinations were established by Monte Carlo simulation of the x-ray examinations. Anthropomorphic mathematical phantoms, the MIRD5 male phantom and the ORNL female phantom, were used as the target body and x-ray spectra were produced by the x-ray spectrum generation code SPEC78. The computational procedure was validated by comparing the resulting doses to the results of NRPB studies for the same diagnostic procedures. The effective doses as well as the organ doses due to chest, abdomen, head and spine examinations were calculated for x-rays incident from AP, PA, LLAT and RLAT directions. For instance, the effective doses from the most common procedures, chest PA and abdomen AP, were 0.029 mSv and 0.44 mSv, respectively. The fact that the effective dose from PA chest x-ray is far lower than the traditional value of 0.3 mSv(or 30 mrem), which results partly from the advances of technology in diagnostic radiology and partly from the differences in the dose concept employed, emphasizes necessities of intensive assessment of the patient doses in wide ranges of medical exposures. The methodology and tools established in this study can easily be applied to dose assessments for other radiology procedures; dose from CT examinations, dose to the fetus due to examinations of pregnant women, dose from pediatric radiology.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.661-668
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• 2020

One of the causes of death for pregnant female is embolism, when a chest PA examination is performed. In addition, due to small doses, the examinations are performed for the purpose of preparing for pre-delivery emergency surgery or basic examination for pregnant female. Evaluating fetal doses through actual measurements is subject to ethical problems, Monte Carlo simulations assesses the organ and fetal doses of pregnant females according to week of pregnancy. The results of the simulations showed that the fetal dose decreased according to weeks of pregnancy and it showed a dose of about 0.1 mGy. The higher the density and thickness of the shielding material, the better the shielding effect. In addition, the dose reduction effect for each shielding material is between 40 and 98%. Afterwards, it is deemed necessary to study the reduction of fetal doses through various shielding characteristics and methods.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.84-88
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• 2018

A 33-year-old woman visited the emergency department presenting with fever and dyspnea. She was pregnant with gestational age of 31 weeks and 6 days. She had dysuria for 7 days, and fever and dyspnea for 1 day. The vital signs were as follows: blood pressure 110/70 mmHg, heart rate 118 beats/minute, respiratory rate 28/minute, body temperature $38.7^{\circ}C$, and oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry 84% during inhalation of 5 liters of oxygen by nasal prongs. Crackles were heard over both lung fields. There were no signs of uterine contractions. Chest X-ray and chest computed tomography scan showed multiple consolidations and air bronchograms in both lungs. According to urinalysis, there was pyuria and microscopic hematuria. She was diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia and urinary tract infection (UTI) that progressed to severe sepsis and acute respiratory failure. We found extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Escherichia coli in the blood culture and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the sputum culture. The patient was transferred to the intensive care unit with administration of antibiotics and supplementation of high-flow oxygen. On hospital day 2, hypoxemia was aggravated. She underwent endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. After 3 hours, fetal distress was suspected. Under 100% fraction of inspired oxygen, her oxygen partial pressure was 87 mmHg in the arterial blood. She developed acute kidney injury and thrombocytopenia. We diagnosed her with multi-organ failure due to severe sepsis. After an emergent cesarean section, pneumonia, UTI, and other organ failures gradually recovered. The patient and baby were discharged soon thereafter.