Journal of Radiation Protection and Research

The Korean Association for Radiation Protection (대한방사선방어학회)
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A Review of Organ Dose Calculation Tools for Patients Undergoing Computed Tomography Scans

  • Lee, Choonsik (Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health)
  • Received : 2021.04.14
  • Accepted : 2021.06.03
  • Published : 2021.12.31
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Abstract

Background: Computed tomography (CT) is one of the crucial diagnostic tools in modern medicine. However, careful monitoring of radiation dose for CT patients is essential since the procedure involves ionizing radiation, a known carcinogen. Materials and Methods: The most desirable CT dose descriptor for risk analysis is the organ absorbed dose. A variety of CT organ dose calculators currently available were reviewed in this article. Results and Discussion: Key common elements included in CT dose calculators were discussed and compared, such as computational human phantoms, CT scanner models, organ dose database, effective dose calculation methods, tube current modulation modeling, and user interface platforms. Conclusion: It is envisioned that more research needs to be conducted to more accurately map CT coverage on computational human phantoms, to automatically segment organs and tissues for patient-specific dose calculations, and to accurately estimate radiation dose in the cone beam computed tomography process during image-guided radiation therapy.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This research was funded by the intramural research program of the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics.

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