Rofo. 2010 Dec;182(12):1091-6 doi: 10.1055/s-0029-1245809. 2010 Oct 22.

Reduction of uterus dose in clinical thoracic computed tomography

Danova D, Keil B, Kästner B, Wulff J, Fiebich M, Zink K, Klose KJ, Heverhagen JT.

Abstract

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the potential dose reduction in the uterus as a result of lead apron protection during thoracic CT scans. Moreover, the distribution of the radiation dose in the uterus was determined in order to obtain information about the ratio of internally and externally scattered radiation.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The uterus doses during thoracic CT were determined by measuring organ doses using an Alderson-RANDO®-Phantom and thermoluminescent dosimeters. A 0.25 mm lead equivalent protective apron was used to shield the abdominal area. Three measurement conditions were evaluated: without lead apron, covered with lead apron and wrapped with lead apron. The uterus dose with and without shielding describes the mean value and standard deviation of all examinations and all measurement points in the organ.
RESULTS: The uterus dose by thoracic CT was measured to be approximately 66.5 ± 3.1 µGy. If the abdomen is covered with a 0.25 mm Pb equivalent lead apron in the front area and on both sides, the uterus dose is reduced to 49.4 ± 2.8 µGy (26% reduction, p CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that protective aprons are an effective dose reduction technique without additional costs and little effect on patient examination time.

PMID: 20972935