Radiation dose reduction to breast and thyroid during MDCT: effectiveness of an in-plane bismuth shield

PURPOSE: To evaluate dose reduction and image deterioration using in-plane bismuth breast-shielding and thyroid-shielding for MDCT. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Skin and organ doses of thyroid and breast were measured with thermoluminescent dosimeters in a female Alderson-Rando Phantom with and without a 4-ply in-plane bismuth shield. Routine neck (120 kVp, 150 mAs(eff); 16 x 1.5 mm) and chest (120 kVp, 100 mAs(eff); 16 x 1.5 mm) scan protocols were simulated on a 16-row MDCT scanner in three different settings: without shielding, with the shield directly on the surface, and with a 1-cm-thick cotton spacer between surface and shield. Image noise was quantified and compared using the t test. RESULTS: On average, shielding resulted in a 47% organ-dose reduction for the thyroid and 32% for the breast. Placement of the spacer between shield and surface had no significant impact on the measured doses, but significantly decreased the image noise (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: In-plane bismuth breast and thyroid shielding significantly decreases radiation dose in MDCT without deteriorating image quality.