Patient-specific fetal radiation dosimetry for pregnant patients undergoing abdominal and pelvic CT imaging.

Background: Accurate estimation of fetal radiation dose is crucial for risk-benefit analysis of radiological imaging, while the radiation dosimetry studies based on individual pregnant patient are highly desired.

Purpose: To use Monte Carlo calculations for estimation of fetal radiation dose from abdominal and pelvic computed tomography (CT) examinations for a population of patients with a range of variations in patients' anatomy, abdominal circumference, gestational age (GA), fetal depth (FD), and fetal development.

Methods: Forty-four patient-specific pregnant female models were constructed based on CT imaging data of pregnant patients, with gestational ages ranging from 8 to 35 weeks.

Construction of a digital fetus library for radiation dosimetry.

Purpose: Accurate estimations of fetal absorbed dose and radiation risks are crucial for radiation protection and important for radiological imaging research owing to the high radiosensitivity of the fetus. Computational anthropomorphic models have been widely used in patient-specific radiation dosimetry calculations. In this work, we aim to build the first digital fetal library for more reliable and accurate radiation dosimetry studies.