Evaluation of Radiation Exposure on Mass Screening Examination for Gastric Cancer Using an Air Kerma-area Product Meter

The present study grasped the radiation exposure per examination by incident air kerma (air kerma-area product; KAP and incident air kerma; Ka, e) using an air kerma-area product meter of our division with mobile population based gastric cancer screening. Initially, we measured the air kerma rate at the patient entrance reference point using an air kerma-area product meter and calibrated dosimeter, for three devices which an air kerma-area product meter was equipped, inspected the indication error of them. The error was 4.3% at the maximum, and accuracy was confirmed. The 816 patients who underwent gastric cancer screening in our division, the median values of KAP and Ka, e of the standard gastrography method 1 were 645.7 mGycm 2 , 37.4 mGy, respectively. The radiation dose of males were significantly higher than females, and the radiation dose increased in proportion to the BMI. The median values of calculated KAP and Ka, e of the standard gastrography method 1 for standard body size were 633.8 mGycm 2 , 37.0 mGy, respectively. We suggest that the patient exposure in gastrography can be optimized using an air kerma-area product meter.