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Dose estimations for Iranian 11-year-old pediatric phantoms undergoing computed tomography examinations
Parisa Akhlaghi1, Hashem Miri-Hakimabad2, Laleh Rafat-Motavalli1
1Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Azadi Square, Mashhad, 91775-1436, Iran.
Insights
This study developed organ dose databases for Iranian children undergoing CT scans. Iranian phantoms received higher radiation doses than the University of Florida phantom, highlighting anatomical differences.
Area of Science:
- Medical Physics
- Radiological Protection
- Pediatric Imaging
Background:
- Establishing organ and effective dose databases for pediatric computed tomography (CT) is crucial for radiation protection.
- Limited data exists for Iranian children undergoing CT examinations.
- Utilizing anthropomorphic phantoms is a standard method for dose assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create an organ and effective dose database for Iranian children undergoing CT scans.
- To compare radiation doses received by Iranian pediatric phantoms with established international phantoms.
- To investigate the impact of anatomical differences on organ dose distribution.
Main Methods:
- Construction of two 11-year-old Iranian phantoms using CT and MRI data.
- Calculation of organ and effective doses for head, chest, abdomen-pelvis, and CAP scans at varying tube voltages (80, 100, 120 kVp).
- Comparison of dose data with the University of Florida (UF) 11-year-old male phantom, including analysis of organ depth and surrounding tissue shielding.
Main Results:
- Iranian phantoms generally received higher organ doses compared to the UF phantom.
- Exceptions were noted, such as the urinary bladder dose in the Iranian girl phantom.
- Discrepancies in doses were examined and attributed to anatomical variations between the phantoms.
Conclusions:
- Significant differences in organ doses exist between Iranian and UF pediatric phantoms, emphasizing the need for region-specific dose databases.
- Anatomical variations play a key role in determining radiation dose distribution in pediatric CT.
- The findings provide essential data for optimizing radiation protection protocols for children in Iran.
Abstract:
In order to establish an organ and effective dose database for Iranian children undergoing computed tomography (CT) examinations, in the first step, two Iranian 11-year-old phantoms were constructed from image series obtained from CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Organ and effective doses for these phantoms were calculated for head, chest, abdomen-pelvis and chest-abdomen-pelvis (CAP) scans at tube voltages of 80, 100 and 120 kVp, and then they were compared with those of the University of Florida (UF) 11-year-old male phantom. Depth distributions of the organs and the mass of the surrounding tissues located in the beam path, which shield the internal organs, were determined for all phantoms. From the results, it was determined that the main organs of the UF phantom receive smaller doses than the two Iranian phantoms, except for the urinary bladder of the Iranian girl phantom. In addition, the relationship between the anatomical differences and the size of the dose delivered was also investigated and the discrepancies between the results were examined and justified.