Unique approaches for testicular shielding during total-body irradiation for pediatric patients

Mohit Shiv Agarwal, Kathryn Bales Kelly, Panos Papanikolaou, Neil Kirby, Chul Soo Ha

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Total-body irradiation (TBI) has been used as a part of the conditioning regimen for patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for certain nonmalignant conditions such as sickle cell disease. Although effective, TBI can cause lasting side effects for pediatric patients. One of these potential side effects includes oligospermia or even permanent azoospermia. Although many investigators have studied ways to shield the testicles during the TBI for nonmalignant conditions, there is no set standard. We describe the technical aspects of effective techniques to shield the testicles of male pediatric patients undergoing TBI. We verified that our techniques reduced the testicular dose by approximately 80%–85% of the TBI prescription dose in four male pediatric patients, keeping the dose well below the documented doses that can cause permanent infertility and hypogonadism.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere13842
JournalJournal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics
Volume24
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2023

Keywords

  • Total-body irradiation (TBI)
  • gonadal shielding
  • pediatric
  • testicular shielding

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Radiation
  • Instrumentation
  • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging

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