Variations in Fluoroscopic and Spot Film Techniques During Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy

Abstract
The radiation techniques of different operators who performed extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy of the kidney were evaluated retrospectively. The study was limited to 9 operators who each performed more than 100 procedures on the Dornier lithotriptor. The average fluoroscopic time and number of video spot films per procedure for all operators were 4.1 minutes and 6.5, respectively. However, the average fluoroscopic time per operator varied from 1.4 to 7.6 minutes and the average number of video spot films per operator varied from 3 to 13. The results illustrate the need for some operators to reduce fluoroscopic time and video spot filming.