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 carried out at the National Laboratory for High Energy Physics in May 1996. 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 frequency of 30 Hz. A performance test of the X-ray shutter using synchrotron 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 consistent with theoretical expectations and kept within a reasonable level of radiation protection.