WOULD THYROID AND BREAST SHIELDING BE BENEFICIAL IN CT OF THE HEAD

Contrary to common perception, the advent of third- and fourth-generat ion scanners has lead to a significant increase in radiation dose to t he patient per computed tomography (CT) head scan. With that in mind, a pilot study was designed with the objective of assessing the effecti veness of a dental-style protective bib in reducing the dose to the ra diosensitive organs of the neck and thorax. Radiation doses over the t hyroid gland and breast were measured with thermoluminenscent dosemete rs and an ionization chamber respectively in 110 patients undergoing r outine head scans. Half the patients wore the protective bib and colla r. With lead protection, the thyroid measurements were reduced by an a verage of 45% and the breast measurements by an average of 76%. Simila r results were seen in phantom measurements.