title: Monte Carlo simulations of the dosimetry of chest tomosynthesis.
abstract: The aims of this work were to explore the dosimetry of chest tomosynthesis and to determine conversion factors between air kerma-area product (KAP) and the effective dose for different system configurations and patient sizes. Tomosynthesis systems were modelled with different angular intervals and tube voltages for the collection of the projection images as well as different distributions of the total exposure over the projections. The Monte Carlo-based computer software PCXMC developed by STUK (Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority in Finland) was used to calculate the effective doses for each modelled tomosynthesis system for various patient sizes. The conversion factor between KAP and effective dose was obtained both for the zero-degree projection alone and for the entire tomosynthesis examination for each system configuration and patient size. The results reveal that the conversion factor for the zero-degree projection can be used to estimate the total effective dose from a tomosynthesis examination with acceptable accuracy, leading to an error smaller than 10 % irrespective of the system configuration and patient size. For higher accuracy, conversion factors between the total KAP and the total effective dose that take the angular interval and exposure configuration into account are presented for each system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, SE-41345 Gothenburg, Sweden. angelica.svalkvist@vgregion.se
authors.forename: Angelica
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Svalkvist
authors.forename: Lars Gunnar
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Månsson
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Båth
mesh_terms: D001822:Body Burden; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000379:methods; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D011874:Radiometry / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*