​In interventional cardiology, a doctor inserts a catheter into an artery or vein and directs it toward the area of the heart that requires treatment. During these procedures, the doctor controls his or her movements using real-time X-ray images. Catheterization has become increasingly popular over the past several years. However, until now, there was no available system for accurately measuring the dose delivered to patients undergoing these procedures. LNHB (Laboratoire National Henri Becquerel), which is both France's national radiation testing and metrology lab and a laboratory of CEA Tech institute List, recently filled this gap.

As part of the EU VERIDIC project, LNHB researchers developed four new reference beams covering the energy ranges used in interventional cardiology. The researchers drew on their spectrum characterization know-how, using X-ray generators to produce beams comparable to those generated by the equipment found in hospitals and treatment centers. They then measured the dosage (air kerma) with the primary instruments developed by LNHB.

These new reference beams will be used to calibrate the measurement instruments utilized in clinical settings, providing an accurate assessment of the doses of radiation delivered to patients during cardiac catheterization procedures.