Abstract
Background: The Mini C-arm has been heralded as a safer means of fluoroscopy. No clinical data on the use of mini C-arm is available in the literature.
Aim: The purpose of this study was to compare the exposure in clinical practice from the conventional C-arm and the Mini C-arm and scrutinize patterns of exposure.
Materials/methods: Case-Control design. All operations using the mini C-arm were reviewed. Control cases were identical operations using the conventional C-arm. The Sign test was used to detect the number of exposures taken and the dose of radiation.
Results: There were 16 operations with valid case-control pairs. The number of exposures performed was significantly greater for the mini C-arm (p=0.05), but the emitted dose of radiation was significantly smaller (p< 0.001) for the mini C-arm.
Conclusions: The mini C-arm is a safer device for extremity surgery, but the surgeon should be careful to avoid excessive exposures.
Correspondence should be addressed to Mr Bimal Singh, BOSA at the Royal College of Surgeons, 35–43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PE
