Effect of protective devices on the radiation dose received by the brains of interventional cardiologists

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ceiling suspended screens, lead glasses and lead caps in reducing radiation doses to the brains of interventional cardiologists. Methods and results: Interventional procedures where the thorax of the patient is irradiated with different beam projections were modelled. The dose reduction in the white matter and hippocampus of the Zubal head phantom was studied for two sizes of ceiling suspended screens, two types of lead glasses and lead caps of surgical and hood models, which cover different regions of the head. Ceiling screens were the most effective, reducing the dose to brain tissue by 74% or even as much as 94%. The dose reduction provided by lead glasses varies between 10% and 17%. For the lead caps, it strongly depends on the model, varying from 6% (surgical) up to 68% (hood that also covered lower parts of the head). Conclusions: The dose to the brain can be reduced by using appropriate radiation protection devices. This study has shown that lead caps are less protective than previously described and that the best protection is given by ceiling suspended screens, which are widely available in interventional theatres.