Efficacy of breast shielding during head computed tomography examination

Zalokar, Nika (author), Mekiš, Nejc (author)

Background. Female breasts are exposed to scattered radiation regardless of not being included in the primary field during head CT. This study aimed to investigate whether the use of lead shielding is beneficial in dose reduction to the breasts during head CT. Patients and methods. The study was performed in two different hospitals on two different CT units and included 120 patients. Half of the measurements (n = 60) was conducted without the use of lead shielding and the other half (n = 60) with the use of lead shielding of 0.5 mm equivalent thickness. Results. Significant skin dose reduction to the breasts during head CT in both hospitals with the use of lead shielding was discovered; 81% (338.2 ± 43.7 μGy to 64.3 ± 18.8 μGy) in Hospital A and 74% (from 253.1 ± 35.1 μGy to 65.3 ± 16.9 μGy) in Hospital B. Conclusions. Considering the assumed carcinogenic effect of low doses of radiation, high frequency of the head CT scans and the significant reduction of radiation doses to the highly radiosensitive breasts, the use of lead shielding is highly recommendable.

• Language: English
• Keywords: scatter radiation, head CT, lead shielding, breasts, dose reduction
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: ZF - Faculty of Health Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: Str. 116-120
• Numbering: Vol. 55, no. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-124556
• UDC: 616-074
• ISSN on article: 1318-2099
• DOI: 10.2478/raon-2020-0044
• COBISS.SI-ID: 25473795
• Publication date in RUL: 02.02.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Radiology and oncology
• Shortened title: Radiol. oncol.
• Publisher: Slovenian Medical Society - Section of Radiology, Croatian Medical Association - Croatian Society of Radiology
• ISSN: 1318-2099
• COBISS.SI-ID: 32649472

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 02.02.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: razpršeno sevanje, računalniška tomografija glave, svinčeni ščit, prsi, zmanjšanje odmerka