Is Thyroid Shield / Radiation Protection Thyroid Guard Actually Needed?

A common question that bugs many people is, “Whether thyroid shield/ radiation protection thyroid guard. Actually necessary?”

Well, the answer is a straight yes! And do you know why it’s so essential? This thyroid guard actually protects you from the harmful radiation from x-rays. When you’re too exposed to radiation, there are chances that your thyroid glands may get triggered, which can have adverse effects like thyroid cancer. This is one of the reasons why many physicians prefer these thyroid collars during radiation exposures.

Want to know more about the benefits of these thyroid shields? Binge on till the very end of this article.

How to Ensure Whether Your Thyroid Guard is Protecting You or Not?

Now, it’s important that you know whether your thyroid guard is providing you with the right protection or not. So, here’re a few tips that healthcare professionals suggest considering while getting a thyroid collar:

Shield Material Choice

A thyroid shield is either made of lead or non-lead. However, the latest latex-free lead thyroid shield provides 0.5mm Pb radiation protection. So, grabbing such a thyroid shield is going to prove handy.

Thyroid Shield Design

Many existing thyroid shields have fit concerns. For instance, the visor-style thyroid collar has stitching holes in the protective material. These holes hold the components together. Therefore, radiation can permeate it and affect the thyroid gland. So, you simply won’t want such designs and should look for a better alternative.

Well-Fitted Thyroid Shield

To protect the entire thyroid, it’s a must you wear a well-fitted thyroid shield. Try wearing a thyroid shield loose to give you the necessary comfort. However, ensure that you’ve covered the entire throat, not allowing any radiation penetration whatsoever. Even a loose-fitting thyroid shield allows more head mobility.

Why Is It Important to Use Thyroid Shield?

Here in this section, we will let you know the ins and outs of the ways you can expect this shield to help you from unwanted setbacks.

The Shield Protects from High-Risk Radiation Exposure

Excessive radiation exposure can be fatal for your delicate skin and surrounding areas. Therefore, wearing thyroid shielding provides the necessary safety and eliminates the chances of early thyroid cancer.

The use of thyroid shields is a crucial safety measure for doctors performing radiologic procedures, and the variety of thyroid collars available offers the best radiation protection.

The use of thyroid shielding complies with radiation protection standards, which also take into account the amount of time spent being exposed to radiation and the distance between the radiologist and the radiation source.

Shielding enables any medical professional who deals with the risk of radiation exposure to perform more procedures because it lengthens the amount of time that one can be exposed.

Protect Patients with Thyroid Shielding

In addition to thyroid collars, many companies also provide patient protection in the form of Disposable Barium Sulfate thyroid shields because thyroid shielding is essential for patient safety.

The European Commission for Guidelines on Radiation Protection came to the conclusion that thyroid shielding significantly lowers radiation doses. And it is therefore strongly advised whenever the thyroid is in the primary beam’s path or very close by.

All Area Protection

Now, when it comes to all area protection, these thyroid shields make an excellent deal to prevent any sort of mishap to your surrounding skin.

That’s not all; the overall comfort and adjustable fit make it a great deal for anyone. Moreover, the overall magnetic closure perfectly sits on your collar, ensuring you a firm grip.

It’s Completely Disposable

These collars are designed to maximize your overall protection, and these are also super effective during dental radiography, CT scans, and even from harmful radioactive exposures.

Moreover, as these shields are completely disposable, they are pretty affordable. Therefore, you really won’t need to worry about the expenses whatsoever. And they are also pretty easy to dispose of, and there are no chances of contamination or infection.

The disposable shields also do not spread disease or cross-infection and are 100% disposable through a typical hospital waste system.

This is advantageous to any facility looking for a way to protect patients while doing so in a way that is less expensive and offers thyroid protection that is superior to other approaches.

Bottom Line

The thyroid shield significantly lowers the thyroid’s dose for exposures in the upper anterior region. The thyroid shield only slightly improves the reduction brought about by rectangular collimation for the other exposures.

Since the thyroid gland is likely to succumb to scatter radiation, it should be safeguarded. The most effective method for reducing the risk of thyroid cancer from radiation exposure throughout procedures is to use thyroid shields.

It is imperative to shield the thyroid gland to avoid irradiating it. The thyroid shield is the only option available to perform this task.

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