The Radiation Protection Pavilion (RPP), which has taken place at the CIRSE Annual Congress since 2014, brings together the interventional radiology community for an engaging, hands-on exploration of the latest innovations and best practices in advancing radiation safety.
This year, the Radiation Protection Pavilion once again stood out as one of the most engaging spaces on the CIRSE 2025 exhibition floor, serving as a central hub for education, innovation, and awareness on radiation safety in interventional radiology (IR).
Through a series of presentations, attendees explored the latest developments in dose management, shielding techniques, and radiation monitoring technologies. The goal was to empower the IR community to make radiation safety an integral part of everyday practice, combining technical understanding with a culture of shared responsibility.
With a new theme every day, the first RPP day focused on tips and tricks to optimize radiation dose and featured, for the first time ever, a live virtual simulation on how to train for high-dose procedures while keeping track of the occupational and patient doses.
The second day in Barcelona gave RPP attendees the chance to attend a morbidity and mortality conference on high-risk procedures, with four IRs presenting real cases. Prof. Romaric Loffroy presented several cases of venous reconstruction of the portal system via transhepatic and transjugular approaches – two lengthy procedures where radiation protection measures are particularly important.
“It is essential to minimize irradiation for both the patient and the operator, and therefore to be familiar with all possible measures to achieve this,” Loffroy told the CIRSE Insider. “Although it is crucial to take every possible precaution to limit radiation exposure, these precautions should not compromise the safety of the procedure or the patient’s prognosis. Overexposure is always preferable to a serious adverse event,” Loffroy said.
The next day was fully dedicated to women in IR, with a focus on working during pregnancy. In her lecture, Dr. Carolin Sobotta discussed the challenges of disclosing pregnancy when working in radiology and made recommendations for supporting pregnant colleagues. “It was an honour to talk about this topic,” Sobotta said about her experience. “In the grand scheme of female empowerment, it’s a big step for female interventionalists to decide for themselves whether they want to continue working in the angio suite (with some restrictions) during pregnancy or not, but it takes a team to support this decision.”
During the roundtable discussion, panellists spoke about their personal experiences as well as the practices in their countries. Audience members then shared their own experiences and asked questions on navigating family planning at different career stages, communicating family plans and needs with colleagues, and respecting the choices of pregnant colleagues. Sobotta said, “The discussion showed how opinions on this topic can vary. We need retrospective data on pregnant women who worked in IR to increase education not only for more informed IR teams but also for prospective female interventionalists.”
One of the most interactive attractions took place on the last day with the new “Radiation safety pursuit” quiz, a playful yet educational competition that tested participants’ knowledge across four categories – from basic principles to complex clinical scenarios. The activity proved to be a fun and effective way to raise awareness and reinforce key safety concepts within the IR community.
By combining education, innovation, and collaboration, the Radiation Protection Pavilion continues to strengthen CIRSE’s mission of fostering a culture of safety and responsibility in interventional radiology.
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