Radiology

Radiation Therapist

Nuclear medicine

Medical education

Psychiatry

Medical physics

Fluoroscopy

Spinal cord stimulator

Spinal cord stimulation

Medical radiation

Radiation exposure

Spinal cord

Percutaneous

Radiation therapy

Accreditation

Medicine

Pain Medicine

Dear Editor, An important component of performing fluoroscopically guided procedures is efficient utilization of radiation, yet there remains a paucity of literature evaluating radiation exposure and safety in pain medicine trainees. Radiation exposure results in biological effects that are dose dependent (stochastic), such as cancer, and dose independent (deterministic), such as cataracts [1]. Because of the dangers of radiation exposure, knowledge and proper adherence to radiation safety measures are expected of medical providers with frequent exposure to radiation [2]. We evaluated temporal changes of radiation dose exposure and fluoroscopy time during fellowship training among pain medicine trainees performing percutaneous spinal cord stimulator (SCS) trials. Knowledge, exposure, performance, and competency in the placement of percutaneous SCS are integral parts of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education –accredited pain medicine fellowships [3]. We hypothesized that both radiation dose exposure and fluoroscopy time would gradually decrease during...

Radiation Use Trends During Spinal Cord Stimulator Placement Performed by Fellow Trainees