Designing a shield to reduce radiation dose during mammography: Dosimetric evaluation

Background: This paper presents a method to reduce radiation exposure during mammography by analysing the doses to ipsilateral and contralateral breasts and to adjacent organs by evaluating material-dependent shielding performance. Materials and Methods: Six target-filter combinations (Mo-Mo, Mo-Rh, Rh-Rh, Rh -Mo, W-Mo, W-Rh) were tested by measuring the doses delivered to the breasts and adjacent organs, with the contralateral (opposite side) breast shielded. The shield was designed to have a simple (┓,┎) shape for ease of use in actual clinical settings, using lead, copper, bismuth, and barium sulphate (BaSO4) as materials for shield configuration. Results: The dosimetric data revealed that the highest absorbed dose was exhibited by the target filter combination of Rh/Rh, followed by W/Rh, W/Mo, Rh/Mo, Mo/Rh, and Mo/Mo. Additionally, the radiation dose was reduced by 54–55%, with the average absorbed dose on the contralateral breast reduced from 0.655 to 0.359 mGy. All four shielding materials used in the experiments were analysed for the shielding effect. Conclusion: This Using a shield during screening mammography would alleviate concerns about the mammography-induced risk of breast cancer and secondary effects.