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Modern fluoroscopy units create high-resolution images during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with relatively low radiation exposure for patients. Still, all procedures that use radiation should adhere to the ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) principle to minimize fluoroscopy use.
To test if a simple light — placed atop the endoscopy monitor in view of the endoscopist — could serve as a reminder to minimize fluoroscopy use during ERCP, investigators conducted a single-center, prospective, randomized trial involving 200 patients undergoing the procedure with or without use of the light, which flashed when the fluoroscope pedal was depressed.
The median fluoroscopy time (FT) was reduced when the light was used versus…