title: Conversion factors for determining organ doses received by paediatric patients in high-resolution single slice computed tomography with narrow collimation.
abstract: Estimations of organ doses DT received during computed tomographic examinations are usually performed by applying conversion factors to basic dose indicators like the computed tomography dose index (CTDI) or the dose-length-product (DLP). In addition to the existing conversion factors for beam apertures of 5 mm or 10 mm, we present new DLP-DT conversion factors adapted to high-resolution CT (HRCT) examinations of infants and young children with beam apertures of the order of 1 mm and under consideration of bow tie filtration. Calculations are performed on mathematical MIRD phantoms for an age range from 0, 1, 5, 10, 15 up to (for comparison) 30 years by adapting PCXMC, a Monte Carlo algorithm originally developed by STUK (Helsinki, Finland) for dose reconstructions in projection radiography. For this purpose, each single slice CT examination is approximated by a series of corresponding virtual planar radiographies comprising all focus positions. The transformation of CT exposure parameters into exposure parameters of the series of corresponding planar radiographies is performed by a specially developed algorithm called XCT. The DLP values are evaluated using the EGSRay code. The new method is verified at a beam aperture of 10 mm by comparison with formerly published conversion factors. We show that the higher spatial resolution leads to an enhanced DLP-DT conversion factor if a small organ (e. g. thyroid gland, mammae, uterus, ovaries, testes) is exactly met by the chosen CT slice, while the conversion factor is drastically reduced if the chosen CT slice is positioned above or below the organ. This effect is utilized for dose-saving examinations with only a few single slices instead a full scan, which technique is applied in about 10% of all paediatric chest CT examinations.
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Radiology, Institute for Clinical Radiology, Dr. von Hauner's Children's Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Lindwurmstr. 4, 80337 Munich, Germany. Electronic address: michael.seidenbusch@med.uni-muenchen.de.
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Seidenbusch
authors.affiliation: Medical Physics and Biophysics, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Konrad-Adenauer-Str. 26, 37075 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Dietrich
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Harder
authors.affiliation: Research Unit Medical Radiation Physics and Diagnostics, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany. Electronic address: regulla@helmholtz-muenchen.de.
authors.forename: Dieter F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Regulla
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Radiology, Institute for Clinical Radiology, Dr. von Hauner's Children's Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Lindwurmstr. 4, 80337 Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schneider
mesh_terms: D065638:Absorption, Radiation; D000465:Algorithms; D001822:Body Burden; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014915:Whole-Body Counting / Q000379:methods*; D014916:Whole-Body Irradiation / Q000379:methods*
keywords: CTDI; Dosis-Längen-Produkt; Fächerstrahlfilter; HRCT; High-resolution CT; Konversionsfaktoren; Organdosen; computed tomographic dose index; conversion factors; dose length product; fan beam filter; organ doses