DEVELOPMENT OF A ROTATING X-RAY SHUTTER FOR CORONARY ANGIOGRAPHY USING SYNCHROTRON-RADIATION

The first clinical examination using a two-dimensional imaging system of coronary angiography with monochromated synchrotron radiation was c arried out at the National Laboratory for High Energy Physics in May 1 996. A rotating X-ray shutter was developed to produce a pulsed X-ray beam with 2-6 ms of beam spill to suppress image blurring, at a freque ncy of 30 Hz. A performance test of the X-ray shutter using synchrotro n radiation was carried out, and it was verified that the shutter had satisfactory specifications for clinical applications. With this X-ray shutter the monitored radiation dose in clinical examinations was con sistent with theoretical expectations and kept within a reasonable lev el of radiation protection.