FREDERICKSBURG, Va., Feb. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Radiologic Associates of
Fredericksburg (RAF) has partnered with the Image Gently
Campaign to increase awareness of opportunities to lower radiation
dose when imaging children. Image Gently is an initiative of
the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging.
“RAF radiologists and technologists have undergone additional
training in ways to reduce radiation exposure, especially with CT
scanning. We now have age and weight based CT
protocols. This helps proportion the radiation dose when
imaging children,” said Dr. Christopher M. Meyer, a radiologist
partner of RAF who serves as medical director of radiology at Mary
Washington Hospital and physician coordinator of the Image Gently
Campaign. “These protocols are similar to those used at the
Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and other
leading children’s hospitals.”
Prior to the weight based protocols, RAF implemented several
programs aimed at decreasing radiation dose. Before this campaign,
the radiologic technologists would manually decrease the dose
based on less precise methods that are still followed by most
imaging facilities today. RAF’s process is now a structured
and automated formula.
All four outpatient imaging centers of Medical Imaging of
Fredericksburg, as well as imaging facilities at Mary Washington
Hospital and Stafford Hospital, are participating in the Image
Gently Campaign. Whenever a child enters any of these
facilities, there is a coordinated effort by staff to image the
child in the safest way possible while still providing the highest
quality diagnostic studies. “This commitment to
radiation safety goes beyond CT and crosses all modalities,
including Xray and fluoroscopy,” Meyer added.
“We want to assure the community that when they choose
facilities served by RAF, they&#
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