AUTOMATIC BRAIN DOSE ESTIMATION IN COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY USING PATIENT DICOM IMAGES

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiological Sciences
• Imaging Technology

Background:

• Accurate estimation of radiation dose in medical imaging is crucial for patient safety.
• Head CT examinations require precise brain dose assessment to minimize potential risks.
• Existing methods may lack accuracy in accounting for patient-specific anatomical variations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an Automatic Brain Dose Estimation (ABDE) methodology for head CT.
• To establish a correction factor (Cf) for ABDE using an anthropomorphic phantom.
• To compare ABDE-derived brain doses with established simulation software.

Main Methods:

• An anthropomorphic Alderson phantom was used to determine a correction factor (Cf).
• The ABDE methodology was applied to the phantom, with dosemeters measuring direct absorbed brain dose.
• The Cf was then used to calculate patient brain doses from mean ABDE values.
• Results were validated against the CT-Expo V 2.4 mathematical simulation phantom.

Main Results:

• The ABDE methodology demonstrated accurate brain dose estimation.
• A mean percent difference of 2.54 ± 0.01% was observed between ABDE and CT-Expo values.
• The developed method effectively accounts for irradiated region size and attenuation.

Conclusions:

• Automatic Brain Dose Estimation (ABDE) provides a reliable method for calculating patient brain doses in head CT.
• The ABDE methodology is clinically recommended for accurate and efficient patient dose assessment.
• This approach enhances radiation safety in diagnostic imaging procedures.