The effect of pediatric chest CT examinations on lens exposure: a Monte Carlo simulation study

The aim of the study was to evaluate the degree of error between Monte Carlo simulations of pediatric lens dose outside the scan range and measured values obtained with a dosimeter. Two types of computed tomography (CT) equipment and three pediatric anthropomorphic phantoms were used, each with a nanoDot optically stimulated luminescence dosimeter (nanoDot OSLD; Landauer, Inc., Glenwood, IL, USA) mounted on its left and right lenses. The scatter dose measurements obtained from the nanoDot were compared with those predicted by the particle and heavy ion transport code system, which served as a Monte Carlo simulation tool during pediatric chest CT examinations. The error rate between the mean measured dose and the simulated dose was within 1.5% for Aquilion Genesis and within 8.0% for Revolution. We evaluated the degree of error between Monte Carlo simulations of pediatric lens dose outside the scan range and measured values obtained with a dosimeter. The Monte Carlo simulations tended to underestimate the error.