Monte Carlo Dosimetry Validation for X-Ray Guided Endovascular Procedures

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiology
• Interventional Cardiology

Background:

• Endovascular treatments are increasingly used in vascular surgery.
• Current radiation dose estimation lacks patient-specific morphology and organ composition data.
• Monte Carlo (MC) simulation offers accurate dose estimation by modeling X-ray irradiation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate MC simulation models for radiation dose estimation in EVAR.
• To compare simulated and measured dose distributions in EVAR procedures.
• To assess the accuracy and efficiency of GATE and GGEMS MC simulation platforms.

Main Methods:

• A clinical study involving EVAR patients was conducted.
• Passive dosimeters (Optically Stimulated Luminescence) measured skin doses at four anatomical points.
• Simulated doses from GATE and GGEMS were compared with measured doses, using CT scans and imaging system parameters as input.

Main Results:

• MC simulations showed good agreement with measured doses (GATE: r=0.97; GGEMS: r=0.96).
• Mean relative errors were low (GATE: 5±5%; GGEMS: 6±5%).
• GGEMS demonstrated significantly faster processing times (6 sec) compared to GATE (5 hr).

Conclusions:

• GATE and GGEMS MC simulation platforms can accurately model 3D radiation dose distributions during EVAR.
• These validated MC tools can improve patient-specific dose estimation in endovascular procedures.
• The findings support the use of MC simulations for enhanced radiation safety in EVAR.