Page 27 - A Practical Guide to Equine Radiography

8 A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO EQUINE RADIOGRAPHY

rest its head either on a custom-built head- 2. The risk of exposing people incidentally
VetBooks.ir stand or on, for example, a bale of shavings. is minimized. Put up visual signs such as

This not only aids in reducing movement but
a sign or tape that prevents people enter-
it also helps to standardize the position of
against a brick wall or if radiographing in a
the horse in relation to the X-ray beam; this ing your X-ray area. Direct your X-ray beam
helps when radiographs of the neck or head wooden stable, make sure nobody stands or
have to be repeated due to missing the struc- walks behind the stable.
ture of interest. It also standardizes the neck 3. People involved in the procedure wear
position, which influences the alignment of protective clothing, including gown and
the cervical as well as thoracic vertebrae and thyroid protector and gloves if necessary.
the width of the interspinous spaces in the Remember that protective clothing only
back. protects from scatter radiation, not from
primary beam radiation.
4. No human body parts are included in the
Protective equipment collimated area.
Considering radiation safety is essential when 5. The exposures are kept to the minimum.
taking radiographs. It is not only a legal require- Since the sensitivity of plates is increasing,
ment but it is now well known that ionizing this ought to be checked when equipment
radiation has no threshold for damage, but that is upgraded.
every exposure increases the risk of not only 6. You know what you are doing! Incompetence
developing cancer but also the occurrence of may lead to unnecessary repeats of exposures.
other diseases, such as strokes and heart attacks.
Protective clothing is only part of radiation Protective clothing comes in different thick-
safety considerations. nesses (mm lead equivalent) and you need
Equine radiography is somewhat differ- to check with your local authorities to find
ent to human and small animal radiography, out what is required. You may also consider
since equine practitioners are allowed to use whether a gown or a top and skirt are better for
ionizing radiation in the field in the presence your purposes. All protective clothing needs to
of lay people. Unlike in human and small be checked for cracks and holes in the protec-
animal radiography, equine radiography com- tive layer on a regular basis by radiographing
monly involves the use of a horizontal X-ray them. Please take care to store protective cloth-
beam, and hence the user has to consider very ing correctly by hanging the gowns up for
carefully where the beam travels. example – do not put them in a crumpled heap
Whatever we do, we should always follow in your car!
the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) Other protective equipment may include the
principle and make sure we keep the radiation use of lead screens which are limited to station-
exposure to everybody as low as possible while ary settings. These are positioned strategically
staying safe around the horse. within a room for staff to stand behind during
Make sure that: exposure.

1. Only the minimum number of people nec-
essary are involved while having the horse Monitoring equipment
adequately handled. This usually requires a Personal monitoring equipment is a legal
minimum of one and a maximum of three requirement in most countries for workers who
people depending on the type of procedure are likely to be exposed to ionizing radiation
and the temperament of the horse. on a regular basis or doses that may go beyond

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