Patient A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by Health professional, healthcare professionals. The patient is most often Disease, ill or Major trauma, injured and in need of therapy, treatment by a physician, nurse, op ...

s are exposed to

ionizing radiation Ionizing (ionising) radiation, including Radioactive decay, nuclear radiation, consists of subatomic particles or electromagnetic waves that have enough energy per individual photon or particle to ionization, ionize atoms or molecules by detaching ...

when they undergo diagnostic examinations using x-rays or

radiopharmaceuticals Radiopharmaceuticals, or medicinal radiocompounds, are a group of pharmaceutical drugs containing radioactive isotopes. Radiopharmaceuticals can be used as diagnostic and therapeutic agents. Radiopharmaceuticals emit radiation themselves, which ...

. Radiation emitted by radioisotopes or radiation generators is utilized in therapy for cancer or benign lesions and also in interventional procedures using

fluoroscopy Fluoroscopy (), informally referred to as "fluoro", is an imaging technique that uses X-rays to obtain real-time moving images of the interior of an object. In its primary application of medical imaging, a fluoroscope () allows a surgeon to see t ...

International Atomic Energy Agency

The

International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology, nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was ...

(IAEA) has established a program on radiological protection of patients in recognition of the increasing importance of this topic. The emphasis in the past had been on

radiation protection Radiation protection, also known as radiological protection, is defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as "The protection of people from harmful effects of exposure to ionizing radiation, and the means for achieving this". Exposu ...

of staff and this has helped to reduce radiation doses to staff at levels well below the limits prescribed by the

International Commission on Radiological Protection The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) is an independent, international, non-governmental organization, with the mission to protect people, animals, and the environment from the harmful effects of ionising radiation. Its ...

(ICRP) and accepted by most countries. The recent emphasis on

of patients is helping in developing strategies to reduce radiation doses to patients without compromising on diagnostic or therapeutic purpose.

ALARA

"ALARA" (" As Low As Reasonably Achievable") should be maintained to reduce radiation doses to staff as well as patients.

Lead shielding during routine X-rays and CT scans

Starting in the 1950s, lead shielding began to be used on patients during all

X-rays An X-ray (also known in many languages as Röntgen radiation) is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays. Roughly, X-rays have a wavelength ran ...

over the abdomen to protect the

gonads A gonad, sex gland, or reproductive gland is a mixed gland and sex organ that produces the gametes and sex hormones of an organism. Female reproductive cells are egg cells, and male reproductive cells are sperm. The male gonad, the testicle, ...

(reproductive organs) or a

fetus A fetus or foetus (; : fetuses, foetuses, rarely feti or foeti) is the unborn offspring of a viviparous animal that develops from an embryo. Following the embryonic development, embryonic stage, the fetal stage of development takes place. Pren ...

if the patient was pregnant. Dental X-rays would also typically additionally use lead shielding to protect the

thyroid The thyroid, or thyroid gland, is an endocrine gland in vertebrates. In humans, it is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the neck below the Adam's apple. It consists of two connected lobes. The lower two thirds of the lobes are connected by ...

. However, a consensus was reached between 2019 and 2021 that lead shielding for routine diagnostic X-rays is not necessary and may in some cases be harmful. In part, this is due to improved understanding of the effects of radiation on patients, as the amount of radiation patients were exposed to in routine X-rays and

CT scan A computed tomography scan (CT scan), formerly called computed axial tomography scan (CAT scan), is a medical imaging technique used to obtain detailed internal images of the body. The personnel that perform CT scans are called radiographers or ...

s was found to not affect

fertility Fertility in colloquial terms refers the ability to have offspring. In demographic contexts, fertility refers to the actual production of offspring, rather than the physical capability to reproduce, which is termed fecundity. The fertility rate ...

or a developing

pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring gestation, gestates inside a woman's uterus. A multiple birth, multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Conception (biology), Conception usually occurs ...

. It was also due to the improvement of X-ray machines. For instance, older X-ray machines would use a set amount of radiation, and used film which requires more X-rays. Modern X-ray machines are digital, and automatically use the minimum amount of radiation needed to image the patient, which means overall the radiation levels are much lower than in the past; however, if the lead shield is in the field being imaged, the machine will produce more X-rays in order to attempt to penetrate the lead shield. Additionally, if the shield is in the field, this may affect the image produced, requiring a second X-ray to be performed, which would also lead to overall increased radiation exposure. Additionally, patient shielding is ineffective at reducing internal scatter; because only a portion of the patient is shielded, X-rays may still go through the gonads or fetus from bouncing off the imaged areas internally. Lead shielding is still recommended for other people in the room, such as family members, health professionals, and X-ray technicians, as it reduces the amount of radiation received. Unlike with patients, there's no risk of increased radiation from using shielding since the use of shielding does not increase the amount of X-rays being produced by the machine as there is no potential for it to accidentally end up in the field. Additionally, health care professionals may be performing many X-rays a day, meaning they are exposed to more cumulative radiation, unlike patients who typically receive far fewer.

References

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External links

Radiation Protection of Patients site
of the IAEA
International Atomic Energy Agency official site
International medical and health organizations International Atomic Energy Agency Radiography Radiation health effects Radiation protection

International Atomic Energy Agency

ALARA

Lead shielding during routine X-rays and CT scans

See also

References

External links