Incorporation of micro-CT-based detailed bone models into ICRP adult mesh-type reference computational phantoms

Abstract

Objective. The red bone marrow (RBM) and bone endosteum (BE), which are required for effective dose calculation, are macroscopically modeled in the reference phantoms of the international commission on radiological protection (ICRP) due to their microscopic and complex histology. In the present study, the detailed bone models were developed to simplify the dose calculation process for skeletal dosimetry. Approach. The detailed bone models were developed based on the bone models developed at the University of Florida. A new method was used to update the definition of BE region by storing the BE location indices using virtual sub-voxels. The detailed bone models were then installed in the spongiosa regions of the ICRP mesh-type reference computational phantoms (MRCPs) via the parallel geometry feature of the Geant4 code. Main results. Comparing the results between the detailed-bone-installed MRCPs and the original MRCPs with the absorbed dose to spongiosa and fluence-to-dose response function (DRF)-based methods, the DRF-based method showed much smaller but still significant differences. Compared with the values given in ICRP Publications 116 and 133, the differences were very large (i.e. several orders of magnitudes), due mainly to the anatomical improvement of the skeletal system in the MRCPs; that is, spongiosa and medullary cavity are fully enclosed by cortical bone in the MRCPs but not in the ICRP-110 phantoms. Significance. The detailed bone models enable the direct calculation of the absorbed doses to the RBM and BE, simplifying the dose calculation process and potentially improving the consistency and accuracy of skeletal dosimetry.