Use of lead shielding on pregnant patients undergoing CT scans: Results of an international survey

AimAn online survey has been used to assess the use of abdominal lead shielding on pregnant patients undergoing CT scans. The aim of the study was to identify potential geographical variations in the use of such shielding as well as the opinions of the users in terms of the weight, manoeuvrability and ergonomics of the lead shields.Materials and methodsThe online questionnaire was distributed to CT Radiographers in the UK, Europe, North America and Australia and responses were gathered electronically over a six month period. All completed responses were downloaded and subsequently analysed for each geographical region.ResultsIn total, 390 completed questionnaires were received with over 100 from each of the UK, North America and Australia. The use of lead shielding was found to vary significantly across the globe with the highest usage in North America (94.5%) and the lowest usage in Europe (46.3%). Approximately 20% of all respondents said that they experienced occupationally related back pain and 25% of all respondents said that patients complained about the weight of the shielding.ConclusionSignificant geographical variations in both the use of lead shielding for foetal radiation protection and the users’ opinions of the shielding devices that are used have been identified and it has become clear that existing shielding solutions are not optimised for this task.