• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제38권3호
• /
• pp.239-250
• /
• 2006

Computational anthropomorphic phantoms are computer models of human anatomy used in the calculation of radiation dose distribution in the human body upon exposure to a radiation source. Depending on the manner to represent human anatomy, they are categorized into two classes: stylized and tomographic phantoms. Stylized phantoms, which have mainly been developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), describe human anatomy by using simple mathematical equations of analytical geometry. Several improved stylized phantoms such as male and female adults, pediatric series, and enhanced organ models have been developed following the first hermaphrodite adult stylized phantom, Medical Internal Radiation Dose (MIRD)-5 phantom. Although stylized phantoms have significantly contributed to dosimetry calculation, they provide only approximations of the true anatomical features of the human body and the resulting organ dose distribution. An alternative class of computational phantom, the tomographic phantom, is based upon three-dimensional imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and computed tomography (CT). The tomographic phantoms represent the human anatomy with a large number of voxels that are assigned tissue type and organ identity. To date, a total of around 30 tomographic phantoms including male and female adults, pediatric phantoms, and even a pregnant female, have been developed and utilized for realistic radiation dosimetry calculation. They are based on MRI/CT images or sectional color photos from patients, volunteers or cadavers. Several investigators have compared tomographic phantoms with stylized phantoms, and demonstrated the superiority of tomographic phantoms in terms of realistic anatomy and dosimetry calculation. This paper summarizes the history and current status of both stylized and tomographic phantoms, including Korean computational phantoms. Advantages, limitations, and future prospects are also discussed.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• 제47권3호
• /
• pp.111-133
• /
• 2022

The exciting advancement related to the "modeling of digital human" in terms of a computational phantom for radiation dose calculations has to do with the latest hype related to deep learning. The advent of deep learning or artificial intelligence (AI) technology involving convolutional neural networks has brought an unprecedented level of innovation to the field of organ segmentation. In addition, graphics processing units (GPUs) are utilized as boosters for both real-time Monte Carlo simulations and AI-based image segmentation applications. These advancements provide the feasibility of creating three-dimensional (3D) geometric details of the human anatomy from tomographic imaging and performing Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations using increasingly fast and inexpensive computers. This review first introduces the history of three types of computational human phantoms: stylized medical internal radiation dosimetry (MIRD) phantoms, voxelized tomographic phantoms, and boundary representation (BREP) deformable phantoms. Then, the development of a person-specific phantom is demonstrated by introducing AI-based organ autosegmentation technology. Next, a new development in GPU-based Monte Carlo radiation dose calculations is introduced. Examples of applying computational phantoms and a new Monte Carlo code named ARCHER (Accelerated Radiation-transport Computations in Heterogeneous EnviRonments) to problems in radiation protection, imaging, and radiotherapy are presented from research projects performed by students at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). Finally, this review discusses challenges and future research opportunities. We found that, owing to the latest computer hardware and AI technology, computational human body models are moving closer to real human anatomy structures for accurate radiation dose calculations.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• 제46권4호
• /
• pp.151-159
• /
• 2021

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.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• 제49권1호
• /
• pp.1-18
• /
• 2024

Exponential growth has been observed in nuclear medicine procedures worldwide in the past decades. The considerable increase is attributed to the advance of positron emission tomography and single photon emission computed tomography, as well as the introduction of new radiopharmaceuticals. Although nuclear medicine procedures provide undisputable diagnostic and therapeutic benefits to patients, the substantial increase in radiation exposure to nuclear medicine patients raises concerns about potential adverse health effects and calls for the urgent need to monitor exposure levels. In the current article, model-based internal dosimetry methods were reviewed, focusing on Medical Internal Radiation Dose (MIRD) formalism, biokinetic data, human anatomy models (stylized, voxel, and hybrid computational human phantoms), and energy spectrum data of radionuclides. Key results from many articles on nuclear medicine dosimetry and comparisons of dosimetry quantities based on different types of human anatomy models were summarized. Key characteristics of seven model-based dose calculation tools were tabulated and discussed, including dose quantities, computational human phantoms used for dose calculations, decay data for radionuclides, biokinetic data, and user interface. Lastly, future research needs in nuclear medicine dosimetry were discussed. Model-based internal dosimetry methods were reviewed focusing on MIRD formalism, biokinetic data, human anatomy models, and energy spectrum data of radionuclides. Future research should focus on updating biokinetic data, revising energy transfer quantities for alimentary and gastrointestinal tracts, accounting for body size in nuclear medicine dosimetry, and recalculating dose coefficients based on the latest biokinetic and energy transfer data.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제55권1호
• /
• pp.295-303
• /
• 2023

Whole-body counters are widely used to assess internal contamination after a nuclear accident. However, it is difficult to determine radioiodine activity due to limitations in conventional calibration phantoms. Inhaled or ingested radioiodine is heterogeneously distributed in the human body, necessitating time-dependent biodistribution for the assessment of the internal contamination caused by the radioiodine intake. This study aims at calculating counting efficiencies considering the biodistribution of ¹³¹I in whole-body counting measurement. Monte Carlo simulations with computational human phantoms were performed to calculate the whole-body counting efficiency for a realistic radioiodine distribution after its intake. The biodistributions of ¹³¹I for different age groups were computed based on biokinetic models and applied to age- and gender-specific computational phantoms to estimate counting efficiency. After calculating the whole-body counting efficiencies, the efficiency correction factors were derived as the ratio of the counting efficiencies obtained by considering a heterogeneous biodistribution of ¹³¹I over time to those obtained using the BOMAB phantom assuming a homogeneous distribution. Based on the correction factors, the internal contamination caused by ¹³¹I can be assessed using whole-body counters. These correction factors can minimize the influence of the biodistribution of ¹³¹I in whole-body counting measurement and improve the accuracy of internal dose assessment.

• 대한자기공명의과학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 대한자기공명의과학회 2001년도 제6차 학술대회 초록집
• /
• pp.134-134
• /
• 2001

Purpose： To evaluate the physiologic background of poorly visualized aneurysms during DSA a contrast-enhanced MRA(CEMRA) due to hemodynamical isolation on clinical and experiment data. Method： Two cases of intracranial aneurysm which were poorly visualized on DSA a CEMRA and one case of intracranial aneurysm which had poor turnover of contrast mediu during DSA were selected for this clinical study. We evaluated the turnover of blood in t terminal aneurysm of handmade elastic silicon phantoms for comparative experiment. Flo experiments with DSA and contrast enhanced MRA were performed in elastic phantoms aneurysm with 3 different diameters (2, 5 and 10 mm) of neck mimicking basilar ti aneurysm, attached to pulsatile pump similar to that of human physiologic parameters. W compared the results with those of computational flow dynamics(CFD).

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제54권7호
• /
• pp.2599-2605
• /
• 2022

The Korea Retrospective Dosimetry network (KREDOS) performed an inter-laboratory comparison to confirm the harmonization and reliability of the results of retrospective dosimetry using mobile phone. The mobile phones were exposed to ¹⁹²Ir while attached to the human phantoms in the field experiment, and the exposure doses read by each laboratory were compared. This paper describes the reference dosimetry performed to present the reference values for inter-comparison and to obtain additional information about the dose distribution. Reference dosimetry included both measurement using LiF:Mg,Cu,Si and calculation via MCNP simulation to allow a comparison of doses obtained with the two different methodologies. When irradiating the phones, LiF elements were attached to the phones and phantoms and irradiated at the same time. The comparison results for the front of the phantoms were in good agreement, with an average relative difference of about 10%, while an average of about 16% relative difference occurred for the back and side of the phantom. The differences were attributed to the different characteristics of the physical and simulated phantoms, such as anatomical structure and constituent materials. Nevertheless, there was about 4% of under-estimation compared to measurements in the overall linear fitting, indicating the calculations were well matched to the measurements.

• 한국의학물리학회지:의학물리
• /
• 제33권4호
• /
• pp.172-179
• /
• 2022

Recently, tetrahedral phantoms have been newly adopted as international standard mesh-type reference computational phantoms (MRCPs) by the International Commission on Radiological Protection, and a program has been developed to convert them to computational tomography images and DICOM-RT structure files for application of radiotherapy. Through this program, the use of the tetrahedral standard phantom has become available in clinical practice, but utilization has been difficult due to various library dependencies requiring a lot of time and effort for installation. To overcome this limitation, in this study a newly developed TET2DICOM-GUI, a TET2DICOM program based on a graphical user interface (GUI), was programmed using only the MATLAB language so that it can be used without additional library installation and configuration. The program runs in the same order as TET2DICOM and has been optimized to run on a personal computer in a GUI environment. A tetrahedron-based male international standard human phantom, MRCP-AM, was used to evaluate TET2DICOM-GUI. Conversion into a DICOM-RT dataset applicable in clinical practice in about one hour with a personal computer as a basis was confirmed. Also, the generated DICOM-RT dataset was confirmed to be effectively implemented in the radiotherapy planning system. The program developed in this study is expected to replace actual patient data in future studies.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• 제39권1호
• /
• pp.30-37
• /
• 2014

최근 표준한국인 성인남녀 복셀 팬텀 한 쌍인 High-Definition Reference Korean-Man (HDRK-Man)과 High-Definition Reference Korean-Woman (HDRK-Woman)을 개발한 바 있다. HDRK-Man과 HDRK-Woman은 각각 한국인 성인 남성과 여성을 대표하므로 이들을 이용하면 한국인 고유의 유효선량을 계산할 수 있다. 이러한 한국인 고유의 유효선량을 계산하기 위해서는 표준한국인 팬텀을 이용한 몬테칼로 선량계산을 수행하여야 한다. 하지만 이러한 몬테칼로 선량계산은 전산인체모델에 대한 이해와 고도의 몬테칼로 전산모사 기술이 요구되기 때문에 몬테칼로 전산모사 경험이 적은 연구자들에게는 접근성이 용이하지 않다. 최근 UFPE (Federal University of Pernambuco) 연구팀에서는 몬테칼로 선량계산 온라인 시스템인 CALDOSE_X를 운영하고 있다. CALDOSE_X는 사용자가 온라인상에서 직접 입력한 선원조건에 따라 곧바로 몬테칼로 선량계산을 수행하고 계산된 결과를 제공해주는 온라인 서비스이다. 따라서 CALDOSE_X를 이용하면 몬테칼로 전산모사 경험 없이도 누구나 쉽게 원하는 선원조건에 대한 선량계산을 수행할 수 있다. 하지만 CALDOSE_X에서 제공하는 선량값은 서양인 전산팬텀을 이용하기 때문에, 이를 한국인 종사자에 대한 방사선 방호목적으로 사용하기에는 여전히 한계가 있다. 이에 본 연구에서는 온라인상에서 사용자가 입력한 선원조건에 따라 실시간으로 표준 한국인에 대한 유효선량을 계산할 수 있는 웹 기반 표준한국인 선량평가 시스템을 구축하였다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제54권2호
• /
• pp.479-485
• /
• 2022

At the Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, physical human phantoms were developed to evaluate various radiation protection quantities, based on the mesh-type reference computational phantoms of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. The physical human phantoms were fabricated such that a radiophotoluminescent glass dosimeter (RPLGD) with a Tin filter, namely GD-352M, could be inserted into them. A Tin filter is used to eliminate the overestimated signals in low-energy photons below 100 keV. The measurement uncertainty of the RPLGD reader system based on GD-352M should be analyzed for obtaining reliable protection quantities before using it for practical applications. Generally, the measurement uncertainty of RPLGD systems without Tin filters is analyzed for quality assurance of radiotherapy units using a high-energy photon beam. However, in this study, the measurement uncertainty of GD-352M was analyzed for evaluating the protection quantities. The measurement uncertainty factors in the RPLGD include the reference irradiation, regression curve, reproducibility, uniformity, energy dependence, and angular dependence, as described by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). These factors were calculated using the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement method, applying ISO/ASTM standards 51261(2013), 51707(2015), and SS-ISO 22127(2019). The measurement uncertainties of the RPLGD reader system with a coverage factor of k = 2 were calculated to be 9.26% from 0.005 to 1 Gy and 8.16% from 1 to 10 Gy. A blind test was conducted to validate the RPLGD reader system, which demonstrated that the readout doses included blind doses of 0.1, 1, 2, and 5 Gy. Overall, the E_n values were considered satisfactory.