Dose conversion coefficients for external photon irradiation

  • Kristina O. Makarevich Belarusian State University, Niezaliežnasci Avenue, 4, 220030, Minsk, Belarus
  • Victor F. Minenko Research Institute for Nuclear Problems, Belarusian State University, 11 Babrujskaja Street, Minsk 220030, Belarus
  • Semen A. Kuten Research Institute for Nuclear Problems, Belarusian State University, 11 Babrujskaja Street, Minsk 220030, Belarus

Abstract

The algorithm for calculation of dose conversion coefficients based on Monte Carlo simulation of the photon radia-tion transport within the computational human phantoms presented. The algorithm was implemented as DosesMale and DosesFemale programs for organisms, starting from the reference male and female phantoms. In order to verify these programs, the «fluence-absorbed dose» and «fluence-effective dose» conversion coefficients were determined for situa-tions of the reference phantoms exposure to a broad unidirectional energy-homogeneous beam of photon radiation in 4 projections: anterior-posterior, posterior-anterior, left lateral, and right lateral. The calculated conversion coefficients were compared with the reference values provided by the International Commission on Radiological Protection for external photon irradiation of the whole body. The «fluence-absorbed dose» conversion coefficients of the majority of critical organs and tissues were in a good agreement with the reference values (relative difference below 3–5 %). Only for some organs (mammary gland of the male phantom, esophagus and «remaining tissues» of the female phantom) significant discrepancies were observed (above 7 %). For the «fluence-effective dose» conversion coefficients, maximal relative differences between the calculated values and the reference values were not higher than 3.5 %. About 700 dose conversion coefficients were calculated with the help of DosesMale and DosesFemale programs for dental, lungs, intes-tinal, thoracic, lumbar, and lumbosacral radiography.

Author Biographies

Kristina O. Makarevich, Belarusian State University, Niezaliežnasci Avenue, 4, 220030, Minsk, Belarus

postgraduate student at the department of nuclear physics, faculty of physics

Victor F. Minenko, Research Institute for Nuclear Problems, Belarusian State University, 11 Babrujskaja Street, Minsk 220030, Belarus

PhD (biology); leading researcher at the laboratory of theoretical physics and simulation of nuclear processes

Semen A. Kuten, Research Institute for Nuclear Problems, Belarusian State University, 11 Babrujskaja Street, Minsk 220030, Belarus

PhD (physics and mathematics); head of the laboratory of theoretical physics and simulation of nuclear processes

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Published
2019-02-10
Supporting Agencies dosimetry, Monte Carlo method, photon irradiation, reference voxel phantoms, dose conversion coefficients
How to Cite
Makarevich, K. O., Minenko, V. F., & Kuten, S. A. (2019). Dose conversion coefficients for external photon irradiation. Journal of the Belarusian State University. Physics, 1, 88-96. Retrieved from https://journals.bsu.by/index.php/physics/article/view/1386
Issue
No 1 (2019): Journal of the Belarusian State University. Physics
Section
Physics of Radiation Dosimetry

Copyright (c) 2019 Journal of the Belarusian State University. Physics

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