“This exposure isn’t random — it’s built into the way we work.”

Why Hugh McDermott, MD of the SWIFT Institute takes fluoroscopy radiation seriously — and why pain physicians should address head and neck exposure earlier in their careers.

Watch: A Pain Physician's Reality With Fluoroscopy Radiation

Key takeaways

• Interventional pain physicians experience frequent, cumulative radiation exposure from routine fluoroscopy use.
• Exposure is not evenly distributed — positioning and beam angle can concentrate scatter near the head and neck.
• Protection must be comfortable and practical to be worn consistently in real clinical workflow.

In Dr. McDermott’s words

“I trained in physical medicine and rehabilitation and completed an anesthesia pain fellowship at Emory. I’ve been practicing interventional pain at the SWIFT Institute for about five years.

Seeing data that interventional providers like us may face roughly double the risk of certain brain tumors — often on the left side of the brain — really made me stop and think. That’s the side we’re exposed based on how we stand, where the screen is, and how we move around the patient. In my case, that’s four to five hours a day.

Before talking with colleagues and reviewing research with Fortega, I barely noticed the exposure to my head and neck. Traditional thyroid shields are inconsistent — they may not fit, hang too low, or sit in the wrong place. I hadn’t thought much about beam angle and scatter either, but it matters more than most realize.

What I like about this system is that I can keep it on all day. It’s easy, ergonomic, and doesn’t interfere with my workflow or block my view. If it touches your face, you can adjust it, and it stays put.

It feels like cloth, not rigid lead. Lead cracks and gets heavy. I tried lead headpieces before — they gave me headaches and I didn’t wear them consistently. That hasn’t been an issue here. It’s lightweight, comfortable, and practical. If you haven’t thought about this at all, you probably should — there’s a real opportunity to take better care of yourself.”

Why head and neck protection

During fluoroscopy-guided pain procedures, the patient becomes a dominant source of scatter radiation. Depending on beam angle and positioning, that scatter can concentrate near the operator’s head and neck — areas that are often inconsistently protected during routine workflow.

Modern head and neck protection is designed to target these higher-scatter zones while remaining wearable enough for everyday use. Because protection only works if it actually gets worn.

Representative scatter distribution around the operator’s head and neck during fluoroscopy-guided procedures.

Learn more about head and neck protection