Lead apron
A flexible radiation-protection garment made of lead sheeting or lead-composite material (barium, tungsten, or bismuth compounds) encapsulated between layers of vinyl or durable fabric, closed at the neck and waist.
How it is used
Worn during fluoroscopy- or C-arm-guided procedures (vascular, urologic, and orthopedic/trauma surgery using intraoperative imaging) to attenuate scattered radiation reaching the torso, gonads, and active bone marrow of staff working near the X-ray source.
Clinical tip
The apron only protects the surface it covers, and its attenuation degrades if folded or stored incorrectly (always hang it on a proper rack); it should be inspected periodically for cracks in the internal shielding and paired with a thyroid collar whenever the neck remains exposed.
Sources
This entry is part of the Instriq catalog, researched and written per specialty from real web research -- never generated or invented without verification -- and reviewed skeptically and independently before publication. How this catalog is written.
Image: Wellcome Collection. License CC BY 4.0. View original source.
History
Added to the catalog on 2026-10-05.
Dates derived from the project's public version-control history on GitHub, not a live collaborative edit log.