Which of the following describes appropriate use of patient shielding?

• A. Use shielding for fetus and gonads when it does not interfere with the exam
• B. Shielding is optional for all patients
• C. Shielding should always cover the entire body
• D. Shielding increases image noise

Answer: (A)

Shielding reduces radiation dose to radiosensitive tissues while keeping the image diagnostically acceptable. The best practice is to place shields over reproductive organs (fetus or gonads) only when doing so does not obscure the area of interest or require higher exposure to obtain a good image. In other words, shield when it won’t interfere with the exam and won’t necessitate increasing technique to compensate for underexposure. This approach aligns with ALARA, balancing dose reduction with maintaining diagnostic quality.

The other ideas don’t fit as well: shielding isn’t a universal requirement for every patient, shielding the entire body is unnecessary and would obscure anatomy, and shielding doesn’t inherently increase image noise if it’s positioned correctly outside the primary beam.