Reduction of operator radiation dose by an extended lower body shield

To quantify the reduction in operator exposure to scatter radiation by using an extension component in addition to a commonly used lower body radiation shield attached to an interventional radiology procedure table.

An anthropomorphic pelvis phantom was exposed to fluoroscopy at varying C-arm angles to simulate a standard interventional procedure. A MAVIG UT60 lower body shield (MAVIG, Munich, Germany) (48 cm × 78 cm, 0.5 mm lead equivalent), with an attachable extension component (48 cm × 36 cm), was suspended from the edge of the table adjacent to the pelvic phantom. Using a handheld Geiger counter, scatter radiation exposure rates were measured at the level of an operator's eye, chest, waist, and knee, with various C-arm angles both with and without the attachable extension component. Mean exposure rates for each experimental setup were calculated and compared.

Overall, scatter radiation exposures were lower with the addition of the extension component, with the largest reductions (> 80%) measured at the operator's waist and knee levels, for all C-arm angles. The highest reduction in scatter radiation exposure was measured at knee level, at 0 degrees left posterior oblique projection, where the use of the lower body shield extension component reduced the exposure rate from 4.80 mR/h to 0.44 mR/h (90.8% reduction, P < .001). Reductions in scatter radiation were less at eye and chest levels.

The use of the additional extension component to the lower body radiation shield can result in large (> 80%) reductions in operator scatter radiation exposure, particularly to the lower body.