Evaluation of use of thyroid shield in mammography: a preliminary study

Purpose Verify if the use of thyroid shield was effective in reducing the radiation dose received by the thyroid in mammography Materials and methods Using a General Electric Senograph DMR mammographer with two bucky s thermoluminescent dosimeters and two phantoms one of body and the other of breast were made measurements in cranio caudal and medio lateral oblique views The variation was made with and without thyroid shield and in the breast without shield on both views Results After collecting and analyzing data it was verified a reduction of the entrance skin doses on thyroid with protection Conclusion Given the significant reduction of the dose and the principle ALARA we can conclude that the shield should be used by the Radiology service However the use of the shield may provide artifacts making difficult the analysis of the breast tissue and leading to the examination repetition increasing the radiation from the mammary gland as well as the other organs