Summer L Kaplan1,2, Dennise Magill3, Marc A Felice3, Rui Xiao4, Sayed Ali5, Xiaowei Zhu6,7. 1. Department of Radiology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 34th Street & Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA. kaplans2@email.chop.edu. 2. Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. kaplans2@email.chop.edu. 3. Environmental Health and Radiation Safety, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. 4. Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. 5. Department of Radiology, Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA. 6. Department of Radiology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 34th Street & Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA. 7. Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Gonadal shielding remains common, but current estimates of gonadal radiation risk are lower than estimated risks to colon and stomach. A female gonadal shield may attenuate active automatic exposure control (AEC) sensors, resulting in increased dose to colon and stomach as well as to ovaries outside the shielded area. OBJECTIVE: We assess changes in dose-area product (DAP) and absorbed organ dose when female gonadal shielding is used with AEC for pelvis radiography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We imaged adult and 5-year-old equivalent dosimetry phantoms using pelvis radiograph technique with AEC in the presence and absence of a female gonadal shield. We recorded DAP and mAs and measured organ absorbed dose at six internal sites using film dosimetry. RESULTS: Female gonadal shielding with AEC increased DAP 63% for the 5-year-old phantom and 147% for the adult phantom. Absorbed organ dose at unshielded locations of colon, stomach and ovaries increased 21-51% in the 5-year-old phantom and 17-100% in the adult phantom. Absorbed organ dose sampled under the shield decreased 67% in the 5-year-old phantom and 16% in the adult phantom. CONCLUSION: Female gonadal shielding combined with AEC during pelvic radiography increases absorbed dose to organs with greater radiation sensitivity and to unshielded ovaries. Difficulty in proper use of gonadal shields has been well described, and use of female gonadal shielding may be inadvisable given the risks of increasing radiation.
BACKGROUND: Gonadal shielding remains common, but current estimates of gonadal radiation risk are lower than estimated risks to colon and stomach. A female gonadal shield may attenuate active automatic exposure control (AEC) sensors, resulting in increased dose to colon and stomach as well as to ovaries outside the shielded area. OBJECTIVE: We assess changes in dose-area product (DAP) and absorbed organ dose when female gonadal shielding is used with AEC for pelvis radiography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We imaged adult and 5-year-old equivalent dosimetry phantoms using pelvis radiograph technique with AEC in the presence and absence of a female gonadal shield. We recorded DAP and mAs and measured organ absorbed dose at six internal sites using film dosimetry. RESULTS: Female gonadal shielding with AEC increased DAP 63% for the 5-year-old phantom and 147% for the adult phantom. Absorbed organ dose at unshielded locations of colon, stomach and ovaries increased 21-51% in the 5-year-old phantom and 17-100% in the adult phantom. Absorbed organ dose sampled under the shield decreased 67% in the 5-year-old phantom and 16% in the adult phantom. CONCLUSION: Female gonadal shielding combined with AEC during pelvic radiography increases absorbed dose to organs with greater radiation sensitivity and to unshielded ovaries. Difficulty in proper use of gonadal shields has been well described, and use of female gonadal shielding may be inadvisable given the risks of increasing radiation.
Authors: Marij J Frantzen; Simon Robben; Alida A Postma; Johannes Zoetelief; Joachim E Wildberger; Gerrit J Kemerink Journal: Insights Imaging Date: 2011-09-25
Authors: Cécile R L P N Jeukens; Gerhard Kütterer; Pierre J Kicken; Marij J Frantzen; Jos M A van Engelshoven; Joachim E Wildberger; Gerrit J Kemerink Journal: Insights Imaging Date: 2020-02-07
Authors: Peter Hiles; Patrick Gilligan; John Damilakis; Eric Briers; Cristian Candela-Juan; Dario Faj; Shane Foley; Guy Frija; Claudio Granata; Hugo de Las Heras Gala; Ruben Pauwels; Marta Sans Merce; Georgios Simantirakis; Eliseo Vano Journal: Insights Imaging Date: 2021-12-23