How Effective Is a Protective Thyroid Shield for Chest X-Ray Imaging?
Chest X-rays emit scatter radiation that can become harmful to clinicians regularly exposed to it. Therefore, you may have heard of the importance of wearing protective garments like thyroid shields and lead aprons or are already using them during diagnostic imaging procedures.
However, it’s common to wonder how effectively thyroid collars shield against radiation to ensure you’re doing enough to protect the sensitive thyroid gland. We’ll provide everything you should know in this article so you can make effective decisions for health and safety.
What Is the Most Effective Shielding for X-Rays?
The most effective forms of shielding for X-rays are lead aprons, thyroid shields, and glasses or visors. Here’s an overview of how each one contributes to safety.
Lead Aprons
Lead aprons hang from the shoulders down to just above the knees. They help protect critical organs like the heart, lungs, gonads, and breasts.
The Journal of Clinical Orthopedic Trauma states that 0.5 mm lead aprons can attenuate up to 99% of scatter radiation, so they’re very effective shielding for clinicians conducting chest X-rays or more intensive procedures like C-arm guided fluoroscopy.
Thyroid Shields
A thyroid shield wraps around your neck to protect the sensitive thyroid gland. Thyroid shields in radiology are essential and effective.
A study published in the Korean Journal of Pain recommends a thyroid shield thickness of 0.5-0.75 mm, which can attenuate up to 95% of scatter radiation. Another study published in Spine in 2013 found that traditional lead thyroid shields that fit snugly could reduce the radiation dose to the thyroid gland by approximately 8.5 times.
Lead Glasses or a Full Lead Visor
The eyes are another crucial organ that’s highly sensitive to radiation. Research in Physica Medica recommends wearing lead glasses or a full lead visor for shielding. The data in that study found that 0.75 mm lead glasses could reduce radiation doses by 1.6 times, and a full lead visor could reduce the dose by 4.5 times.
Are Thyroid Shields Safe for Radiation Protection?
A statement from the American Thyroid Association says that wearing thyroid protection from radiation is safe and recommended for clinicians in diagnostic medical radiology.
Patient Shielding Isn’t Always Advisable
Putting a thyroid shield on patients during chest X-rays isn’t always recommended since it could get in the way of the field of view. Research from the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences mentioned that lead shielding that gets in the X-ray’s field of view can reduce the image’s quality.
A study from the British Journal of Radiology also mentioned a growing body of research showing that using patient shielding isn’t always compatible with modern X-rays. Modern X-rays use automatic controls to increase exposure based on factors like the patient’s weight and the density of the body part being captured.
Therefore, wearing shielding in the field of view would cause automatic controls to turn the exposure up much higher and increase the radiation dose to the whole room, which is dangerous for clinicians and patients.
However, clinicians using shielding like lead aprons and thyroid collars is still recommended since they won’t get in the field of view of the image and are exposed to radiation more frequently.
The Importance of Maintaining Protective Garments for Safety and Effectiveness
Thyroid shields in medical practices must be cleaned and sanitized and inspected regularly to ensure they’re as safe and effective as possible.
A safety concern that can arise with unmaintained protective garments like thyroid shields and lead aprons is they can build up harmful microorganisms that are hard to remove.
A study from Dr. Jaber that cultured 25 lead aprons from a medical facility found that 84% were contaminated with Tinea species (ringworm) and Staphylococcus aureus, and 12% were contaminated with MRSA. Although AORN does not specifically call out protective garments as high-touch objects, their recommendations for quarterly disinfection of high-touch surfaces align with what we’ve seen in clinical settings—where garments like thyroid shields accumulate harmful microorganisms if not cleaned regularly.
Additionally, garments can develop damage or defects from regular use, such as cracks, holes, or tears that reduce their effectiveness. A study from the Journal of Health Physics found that small tears can increase by up to 270% in 10 months. We recommend annual X-ray inspections to detect damage before it gets out of hand.
Why Is it Important to Wear a Thyroid Shield When Taking X-Rays?
One of the biggest reasons why wearing thyroid shielding is essential for clinicians is ongoing medical radiation exposure can lead to many adverse health outcomes.
The American Cancer Society states that ongoing radiation exposure increases the risk of developing thyroid cancer. A study from the Journal of Radiation Research also mentioned that radiation exposure increases the risk of hyperthyroidism and thyroid neoplasia.
The American Cancer Society found that the average chest X-ray emits about 0.1 mSv of radiation, which is approximately the same amount of radiation people are exposed to naturally over the course of 10 days. While it’s a low dose compared to more intensive procedures, that number still adds up fast when medical professionals take X-rays throughout the day. Therefore, proper thyroid shielding is necessary to reduce the radiation dose absorbed.
Can a Chest X-ray Detect Thyroid Problems?
Chest X-rays may capture part of the neck, so they could inadvertently detect a thyroid problem. However, the National Institutes of Health states that if a thyroid problem is suspected, other scanning methods should be used, such as a thyroid scan, ultrasound, or radioactive iodine uptake test.
How RCS Can Help Maintain Protective Garments for Safety and Effectiveness
Thyroid shielding is effective and necessary for clinicians conducting regular X-rays and interventional surgery using C-arms and fluoroscopy. However, protective garments must be maintained so they remain as safe and effective as possible. We can help at Radiological Care Services (RCS).
Our services include:
Deep cleaning and disinfection
Annual inspections using X-ray scanning
Garment disposal
Garment repairs
Inventory management with our RADCOMPLY™ software
We follow recommendations from governing bodies like AORN and the CDC across our services to ensure compliant and effective results.
Ready to improve protective garment maintenance? Contact RCS today to learn more.