Download or read book The Utility of Patient-specific CT Dose Estimation Maps written by Carla M. Thompson and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Publicized radiation overdoses in computed tomography (CT) imaging sparked concern for the amount of radiation patients receive from CT examinations. Limitations exist with accurately estimating patient radiation dose from CT. However, traditional dose descriptors do not take into account patient-specific anatomy and are therefore limited in providing accurate dose estimates for individual patients. This dissertation describes the development and validation of patient-specific dose maps which display pixel values equal to the dose absorbed by corresponding tissue voxels and the potential utility of dose maps over standard dose estimation methods. Patient-specific virtual phantoms were created from the patient's own CT images by classifying each voxel as a specific material type based on fixed Hounsfield Unit threshold values. Using a customized Monte Carlo (MC) tool; x-ray photon interactions with the materials were modeled based on specific scanner characteristics.Dose maps were validated by comparing radiation dose measurements from metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) placed in anthropomorphic phantoms during CT scanning to simulate dose map dose values. Results showed that radiation dose estimated using MC methods were strongly correlated with MOSFET measurements. Dose maps were created from the CT images of 21 obese patients referred for the evaluation of cardiovascular disease. Effective dose (E) determined from the standard dose-length product conversion method was compared to E determined from dose maps using International Commission of Radiological Protection publication 60. Dose maps derived from patient CT images yielded lower E estimates than DLP conversion methods. The influence of iodinated contrast, routinely injected prior to CT data acquisition, on absorbed radiation dose was explored in a separate patient cohort. Dose maps were created to compare organ doses with CT image acquisition before and after intravenous contrast media administration. Results showed that absorbed radiation dose from CT scanning was higher in the presence of contrast. This work demonstrated that dose maps provide more accurate dose estimates that account for patient size, individual organ sizes, differences in body composition, and the presence of iodinated contrast. Wide-spread availability of simulation tools for all scanner platforms would enable more patient-specific dose estimation than traditional, patient-generic metrics.