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State of the Art Cranial Ultrasound Imaging in Neonates
Published on: February 2, 2015
Towards novel methods of dosimetry in pediatric and neonatal head computed tomography: Comparative study using two
H Sekkat1, A Khallouqi2, Y Madkouri3
1Sciences and Engineering of Biomedicals, Biophysics and Health Laboratory, Higher Institute of Health Sciences, Hassan First University, Settat 26000, Morocco; Higher Institute of Nursing Professions and Health Techniques, Rabat, Morocco.
Insights
New heterogeneous pediatric head phantoms accurately quantify radiation doses in CT scans. These phantoms enable size-specific dose optimization, improving safety for children undergoing computed tomography (CT).
Area of Science:
- Medical Physics
- Radiological Dosimetry
- Pediatric Imaging
Background:
- Accurate radiation dose assessment is critical in pediatric computed tomography (CT) due to children's increased radiosensitivity and unique anatomy.
- Standard adult phantoms often lead to underestimation of radiation doses in pediatric head imaging.
- Novel heterogeneous phantoms are needed for realistic pediatric dose quantification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate two novel, in-house heterogeneous head phantoms for pediatric CT dosimetry.
- To perform comparative dosimetry using these phantoms under various clinical protocols.
- To assess the accuracy of these phantoms in representing pediatric head anatomy and tissue composition.
Main Methods:
- Formulation of tissue-equivalent materials (TEMs) for cranial bone, brain, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and tumor using Monte Carlo simulations (GATE), XMuDat calculations, and pediatric CT Hounsfield unit (HU) data.
- Measurement of organ doses using optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters (OSLDs) within the phantoms.
- Simulations and measurements conducted under clinical protocols at 100 and 120 kVp.
Main Results:
- The developed TEMs demonstrated close agreement (<9%) with theoretical physical and radiological properties (density, electron density, effective atomic number, mass attenuation).
- CT numbers of the phantoms matched reference pediatric HU ranges, confirming anatomical realism.
- Peripheral doses for cranial bone ranged from 18.48 ± 0.16 mGy (neonatal, 100 kVp) to 24.66 ± 0.04 mGy (pediatric, 120 kVp); CSF doses ranged from 17.75 ± 0.11 mGy to 24.00 ± 0.68 mGy; brain matter doses ranged from 16.09 ± 0.27 mGy to 19.95 ± 0.38 mGy.
Conclusions:
- The novel heterogeneous phantoms provide a realistic and accurate platform for quantifying radiation doses in pediatric head CT.
- These phantoms support the optimization of radiation doses specific to patient size in pediatric CT.
- The developed phantoms can aid in establishing local diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) based on size-specific dose estimates.
Purpose:
Accurate radiation dose assessment in pediatric computed tomography (CT) is essential due to children's higher radiosensitivity and anatomical differences from adults. Standard homogeneous adult phantoms often underestimate pediatric doses, especially in head imaging. This study performs a comparative dosimetry using two novel in-house developed heterogeneous head phantoms.
Methods:
Tissue-equivalent materials (TEMs) for cranial bone, brain matter, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and tumor/mass were formulated using Monte Carlo (GATE) simulations, XMuDat calculations, and Hounsfield unit data from pediatric head CT scans. Organ doses were measured using optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters under clinical protocols at 100 and 120 kVp using machined inserts in the phantoms for the different TEMs.
Results:
Physical and radiological properties, density, electron density, effective atomic number and mass attenuation, showed close agreement between simulations and theoretical values (<9% for most tissues). CT numbers matched reference pediatric HU ranges, confirming anatomical realism. Cranial bone peripheral doses ranged from 18.48 ± 0.16 mGy (neonatal, 100 kVp) to 24.66 ± 0.04 mGy (pediatric, 120 kVp), CSF peripheral doses from 17.75 ± 0.11 mGy to 24.00 ± 0.68 mGy, brain matter from 16.09 ± 0.27 mGy to 19.95 ± 0.38 mGy. Dose increases were ∼ 18-27% between neonatal and pediatric 100 kVp protocols, and ∼ 4-8% when increasing pediatric tube potential from 100 to 120 kVp.
Conclusion:
These phantoms provide a realistic platform for pediatric head CT dose quantification, supporting patient-size-specific optimization and establishment of local diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) based on size-specific dose estimates.
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