Monte Carlo estimation of absorbed dose to organs in computed tomography

This paper proposes a method to estimate absorbed doses to organs in explorations using computed tomography. This Monte Carlo-based method is a generalization of a previous method applied to conventional diagnostic radiology and is also applicable to radiotherapy techniques using photons or electrons. This study is applied to the estimation of absorbed doses to different parts of the head in a simple head CT examination. Simulation was performed for different arrangements (monoenergetic beam, spectrum, different number of histories, etc.). Comparison of the results with experimental doses measured in a human phantom by thermoluminescent dosimeters indicates that the method is capable of adequately estimating doses to organs in computed tomography.