title: Usefulness of a lead shielding device for reducing the radiation dose to tissues outside the primary beams during CT.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was done to investigate the efficacy of a lead shield in protecting the tissues outside the primary beams, such as the breast and thyroid, by measurement of the entrance skin dose during CT of the brain, neck, abdomen, and lumbar spine.
  
  
  METHODS
  Institutional Review Board approval was obtained. This study included 150 patients (male:female 25:125, age range 15-45 years). In females, brain, lumbar spine, and abdominal CT scans, pre-/post-contrast neck CT scans, and post-contrast liver dynamic CT scans were performed. In males, brain CT scans only were performed. Breast shielding was performed in all females, and thyroid shielding was conducted in patients with brain CT. During all CT studies, the left breast or left thyroid was shielded using a lead shield, and the contralateral side was left unshielded. Thus, each breast or thyroid measurement had its own control for the same demographic data. The efficacy of the shielding of both breasts and thyroids during CT was assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During brain, abdominal, lumbar, pre-/post-contrast neck, and post-contrast liver dynamic CT, 33.5, 26.0, 17.4, 26.5, and 16.2 % of the breast skin dose were reduced, respectively. During brain CT, the thyroid skin dose was reduced by 17.9 % (females) and 20.6 % (males). There were statistically significant differences in the skin doses of shielded organs (p < 0.05). Breast shielding during neck and liver dynamic CT was the most effective compared with breast or thyroid shielding during other CT scans.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We recommend breast shielding during neck and liver dynamic CT in young female patients to avoid unnecessary radiation exposure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiological Science, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 211 Eonju-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-720, Korea. jjchung@yuhs.ac.
authors.forename: Jae-Joon
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiological Science, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 211 Eonju-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-720, Korea.
authors.forename: Eun-Suk
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiological Science, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 211 Eonju-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-720, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiological Science, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 211 Eonju-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-720, Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong-Sik
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiological Science, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 211 Eonju-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-720, Korea.|Department of Radiology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Songnam, Korea.
authors.forename: Dae Jung
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiological Science, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 211 Eonju-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-720, Korea.
authors.forename: Joo Hee
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001940:Breast / Q000528:radiation effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000379:methods; D011837:Radiation-Protective Agents; D012867:Skin / Q000528:radiation effects; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000528:radiation effects; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D011837:Radiation-Protective Agents; D007854:Lead