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Radiation doses for pregnant women in the late pregnancy undergoing fetal-computed tomography: a comparison of dosimetry and Monte Carlo simulations

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Abstract

The purposes of this study were (1) to compare the radiation doses for 320- and 80-row fetal-computed tomography (CT), estimated using thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) and the ImPACT Calculator (hereinafter referred to as the “CT dosimetry software”), for a woman in her late pregnancy and her fetus and (2) to estimate the overlapped fetal radiation dose from a 320-row CT examination using two different estimation methods of the CT dosimetry software. The direct TLD data in the present study were obtained from a previous study. The exposure parameters used for TLD measurements were entered into the CT dosimetry software, and the appropriate radiation dose for the pregnant woman and her fetus was estimated. When the whole organs (e.g., the colon, small intestine, and ovaries) and the fetus were included in the scan range, the difference in the estimated doses between the TLD measurement and the CT dosimetry software measurement was <1 mGy (<23 %) in both CT units. In addition, when the whole organs were within the scan range, the CT dosimetry software was used for evaluating the fetal radiation dose and organ-specific doses for the woman in the late pregnancy. The conventional method using the CT dosimetry software cannot take into account the overlap between volumetric sections. Therefore, the conventional method using a 320-row CT unit in a wide-volume mode might result in the underestimation of radiation doses for the fetus and the colon, small intestine, and ovaries.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8575, Japan

    Yuta Matsunaga, Ai Kawaguchi & Koichi Chida

  2. Department of Imaging, Nagoya Kyoritsu Hospital, 1-172, Hokke, Nakagawa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 454-0933, Japan

    Yuta Matsunaga

  3. Department of Radiology, TOYOTA Memorial Hospital, 1-1 Heiwa-cho, Toyota, Aichi, 471-0821, Japan

    Ai Kawaguchi

  4. School of Health Sciences, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan

    Masanao Kobayashi & Shoichi Suzuki

  5. School of Medicine, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan

    Shigetaka Suzuki

Authors
  1. Yuta Matsunaga
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  2. Ai Kawaguchi
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  3. Masanao Kobayashi
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  4. Shigetaka Suzuki
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  5. Shoichi Suzuki
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  6. Koichi Chida
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Correspondence to Yuta Matsunaga.

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Matsunaga, Y., Kawaguchi, A., Kobayashi, M. et al. Radiation doses for pregnant women in the late pregnancy undergoing fetal-computed tomography: a comparison of dosimetry and Monte Carlo simulations. Radiol Phys Technol 10, 148–154 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12194-016-0377-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12194-016-0377-y

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