Which shield is intended to be placed directly on the patient?

Which shield is intended to be placed directly on the patient?

• A. Contact shield
• B. Shadow shield
• C. Ceiling shield
• D. Floor shield

Answer: (A)

The shield intended to be placed directly on the patient is the one that sits in contact with the skin to attenuate X-rays exactly at the tissue of interest. This contact shield molds to the body's contours and reduces exposure to underlying radiosensitive tissues (like gonads) without adding distance between the shield and the tissue, which helps minimize scatter reaching that area and preserves image quality. Other shields are used to protect the staff rather than the tissue on the patient. Shadow shields, ceiling shields, and floor shields are positioned around the patient or the X-ray setup to block scatter from reaching the operator or to shield areas from a distance; they are not designed to be in direct contact with the patient.

The shield intended to be placed directly on the patient is the one that sits in contact with the skin to attenuate X-rays exactly at the tissue of interest. This contact shield molds to the body's contours and reduces exposure to underlying radiosensitive tissues (like gonads) without adding distance between the shield and the tissue, which helps minimize scatter reaching that area and preserves image quality.

Other shields are used to protect the staff rather than the tissue on the patient. Shadow shields, ceiling shields, and floor shields are positioned around the patient or the X-ray setup to block scatter from reaching the operator or to shield areas from a distance; they are not designed to be in direct contact with the patient.