Article

Evaluation of barium sulfate-copper breast radiation shield for use in thoracic computed tomography examinations

¹ Medical Physics Department, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
² Cancer Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
³ Medical Physics and Radiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Infectious Diseases Research Center, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran
⁴ Biomedical Engineering and Medical Physics Department, School of Medicine, Shahid-Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
⁵ Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran

^* Corresponding authors: behmadim881.mph@gmail.com; keshtkar.dmohammad@yahoo.com

Received: 5 May 2024
Accepted: 4 July 2024

Abstract

Introduction: In thoracic computed tomography (CT) examinations, patients’ breasts are exposed to high radiation doses, necessitating the reduction of received dose by a radiation shield. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficiency of a new composition of barium sulfate-copper shield with minimal impact on image quality. Materials and methods: Different breast shields were manufactured using varying weight percentages of copper and BaSO₄. Thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) and thorax phantoms were employed to assess the radiation shielding effectiveness. Image quality, in terms of noise and CT number accuracy, was quantitatively evaluated on a CT dose Index phantom (CTDI). Additionally, a controlled trial involving with 30 female participants was conducted to further assess CT image quality and select the best breast radiation shield. Results: The results indicated that the different shield compositions reduced the surface dose by 14.17–51.69%. The shield with a composition of 90% Cu–10% BaSO₄ and 50% Cu–50% BaSO₄ had the lowest noise, while the 100% bismuth shield had the highest noise. Importantly, the 50% Cu–50% BaSO₄ shield did not cause artifacts in the thoracic CT images. Conclusion: By using the 50% Cu–50% BaSO₄ shield, a significant dose reduction was achieved while maintaining appropriate image quality, making it suitable for clinical applications.