Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 12, 2026
A Whole Body Dosimetry Protocol for Peptide-Receptor Radionuclide Therapy PRRT: 2D Planar Image and Hybrid 2D+3D SPECT/CT Image Methods
Published on: April 24, 2020
Improved organ absorbed dose estimation in abdominal CT using DICOM header-based tube current modulation profiles:
Chatnapa Nuntue1,2, Kosuke Matsubara3, Shu Watanabe1
1Department of Quantum Medical Technology, Division of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan.
Purpose:
Precise determination of organ absorbed doses in computed tomography (CT) is vital for evaluating radiation risk and optimizing radiation dose. This study aimed to improve the accuracy of organ absorbed dose estimates in abdominal CT by integrating tube current modulation (TCM) profiles-extracted from the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) headers-into Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. The proposed study was validated by comparing the simulation results with direct measurements.
Methods:
The Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System (PHITS), an MC simulation model, was validated by comparing its simulated weighted CT dose index (CTDIw) with measurements obtained using a 32-cm PMMA phantom on a 256-slice multidetector CT scanner. Organ doses were measured using radiophotoluminescence glass dosimeters placed at the anatomical locations of various organs within an abdominal phantom. Scans were performed under both fixed tube current conditions and TCM with noise indices (NI) of 9 and 11. A voxel-based phantom model was constructed from CT image data, and TCM profiles were extracted from DICOM headers for use in the simulations.
Results:
The simulated CTDIw values were within 10% of the measured data. The relative differences between simulated and measured organ absorbed doses for the liver, gallbladder, stomach, spleen, kidneys, and pancreas ranged from -14.0% to 7.87% across both fixed tube current and TCM protocols. Slightly larger deviations were noted for the kidneys under TCM at NI 9. While the average dose differed depending on the NI setting, the dose distribution trend under TCM was comparable to that of fixed tube current scans.
Conclusion:
The agreement between simulated and measured organ doses, including CTDIw, was consistent across all protocols. The observed consistency in dose distribution patterns affirms the reliability and applicability of the proposed correction method for accurate and protocol-specific organ dose estimation in abdominal CT.
More Related Videos
06:33Construction of a Preclinical Multimodality Phantom Using Tissue-mimicking Materials for Quality Assurance in Tumor Size Measurement
Published on: July 29, 2013
06:20Irradiator Commissioning and Dosimetry for Assessment of LQ α and β Parameters, Radiation Dosing Schema, and in vivo Dose Deposition
Published on: March 11, 2021
Related Concept Videos
01:10Computed Tomography
The technique was invented in the 1970s and is based on the principle that as X-rays pass through the body, they are absorbed or reflected at different levels. In the technique, a patient lies on a motorized platform while a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner rotates...
01:28Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System V: CT