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→Protecting pregnant patients
===Protecting pregnant patients===
{{#evt:service=youtube|id=https://youtu.be/2gQbR4gVXM8|dimensions=500|container=frame|alignment=right|description=Video courtesy of the International Atomic Energy Agency}}
Early pregnancy can go undetected, so it is prudent to ensure that patients of childbearing potential are not pregnant before undergoing [[diagnostic radiology]] or [[nuclear medicine]] studies that provides doses above which the risk of adverse fetal health effects is not considered negligible (1–10 mGy) (.<ref>PRACTICE PARAMETER FOR IMAGING PREGNANT OR POTENTIALLY PREGNANT ADOLESCENTS AND WOMEN WITH IONIZING RADIATION[https://www.acr.org/-/media/ACR/Files/Practice-Parameters/Pregnant-Pts.pdf]). </ref> Before [[Radiation therapy]], and in the absence of a documented history of applicable gynaecological surgery (e.g. tubal ligation, hysterectomy) or an established postmenopausal state, serum or urine pregnancy tests should be obtained, ideally 24–72 h prior to treatment (.<ref>The SNMMI Practice Guideline for Therapy of Thyroid Disease with 131I[http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/53/10/1633]). </ref>
There are radiation-related risks to the embryo/fetus during pregnancy that are related to the stage of pregnancy and the absorbed dose to the embryo/fetus. [[ICRP]] has evaluated the effects of prenatal irradiation in detail ([[ICRP Publication 90]] Biological Effects after Prenatal Irradiation (Embryo and Fetus)). These effects include lethal effects, malformations, central nervous system effects, leukaemia and childhood cancer. Consideration of these effects is important when pregnant patients undergo [[diagnostic radiology]], [[interventional procedures]], or [[radiation therapy]] using ionising radiation. A balance must be attained between the health care of the patient and the potential for detrimental health effects to the embryo/fetus that accompanies the specific radiological procedure ([[ICRP Publication 84]]).
