A Comparative Analysis between SR-Pb Shield and TCM in Eye Dose of Head CT Examination

Abstract

This study aims to compare the effectivity of silicone rubber-lead (SR-Pb) eye shields and TCM technique during head CT examinations. In this study, a 95-5 wt% SR-Pb eye shield was developed with dimensions of 17 cm ×17 cm ×0.6 cm. This study was carried out at three tube voltages, namely 80, 100, and 120 kV. The measurements were conducted using Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dosimeter (OSLD) as the point dosimeter. Image noise and CT number were measured within specified region of interests (ROIs). These ROIs were positioned in three regions: the right eye, the left eye, and the central area of the head. Comparison of dose and noise was carried out in three conditions: without using SR-Pb and TCM (initial conditions), only using SR-Pb, and only using the TCM technique. From this study, it was found that the use of SR-Pb reduced eye dose as the use of TCM. It was found that a greater dose reduction was obtained when using SR-Pb compared to using TCM. Meanwhile, the use of SR-Pb led to slightly increasing noise and changing the CT number. In conclusion, the use of SR-Pb eye shield can serve as an alternative for eye dose reduction in CT machines that do not support TCM mode.