Usefulness of an Additional Shielding Sheet for Reducing Radiation Exposure to Patients and Medical Staff during...

Interventional radiology (IR) procedures often require prolonged fluoroscopic imaging, resulting in substantial radiation exposure to both patients and medical staff. Although conventional protective devices are widely used, the scattered radiation beneath the procedural table remains inadequately shielded.

An additional shielding sheet, fabricated from a discarded 0.25 mmPb lead apron, was developed to block the open space between the interventional table and lead curtain. Phantom-based simulations of bronchial artery embolization (BAE) and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) have been performed. Optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters were used to measure the radiation doses in the radiosensitive organs of the patient and operator phantoms, both with and without an additional shielding sheet. This study also evaluated dose reduction in the presence or absence of personal protective devices (PPD). Statistical significance was determined using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test (P < 0.05).

When an additional shielding sheet was used, the patient dose was significantly reduced by 20.5% and 20.6% during BAE and TACE, respectively (both P < 0.05). For operators, dose reductions were 68.1% and 43.3% during BAE and TACE with PPD, respectively. Without PPD, the dose was also significantly reduced in both BAE and TACE procedures (P < 0.05).

Additional shielding sheets significantly decreased radiation exposure in both patients and operators during IR procedures. This simple and cost-effective device complements existing shielding tools and enhances radiation safety in clinical practice.