Bismuth shields for CT dose reduction: Do they help or hurt?

摘要

Bismuth shielding has been used to reduce the dose from CT to superficial radiosensitive organs, such as the breast, lens of the eye, and thyroid [1]. Bismuth-impregnated latex shields are placed over the organ of interest to attenuate the x-ray beam entering the patient. Although studies have confirmed a reduction in superficial dose [2-5], the disadvantages of using bismuth shielding have not been widely recognized. We summarize here the primary arguments for and against its use in CT.