RADIATION EXPOSURE
One study of prostatic artery embolization found radiation exposure of 176.5 Gy/cm2. (1) This is roughly equivalent to ~5–10 standard abdominal/pelvic CT scans (more if using ultra-low dose scanners), 586 chest X-rays, 4.4 barium enemas or 8.8 voiding cysto-urethrograms. (3) To put that in perspective, a study of 14,150 patients who had Abdominal Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) found an increased risk of abdominal cancer with 18% eventually succumbing to cancer. (2) The mean radiation exposure for EVAR is 79.58 Gy/cm2, approximately 1/2 the radiation exposure of PAE. (4)
- Abt D, Hechelhammer L, Müllhaupt G et al. Comparison of prostatic artery embolization (PAE) versus transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for benign prostatic hyperplasia: randomized, open label, noninferiority trial. BMJ 2018; 361: k2338
- Markar, Sheraz R., et al. “A Population-Based Cohort Study Examining the Risk of Abdominal Cancer after Endovascular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair.” Journal of Vascular Surgery, vol. 69, no. 6, 2019, p. 1776.
- Chin, Peter. “Prostatic Artery Embolization: Adding to the Arsenal against the Hapless Prostate.” BJUI, vol. 123, no. 6, 2019, pp. 911–912.
- Monastiriotis S, Comito M, Lapropoulos N. Radiation exposure in endovascular repair of abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysms. J Vasc Surg 2015; 62: 753–61