Fetal Radiation Dose Assessment 

Computed tomography (CT) is one of the most popular methods in medical imaging. During the past decades the number of CT examinations in pregnant patients has been growing constantly. However, CT in pregnant patients requires careful consideration of the radiation dose and corresponding radiation risks from ionizing radiation to the unborn child.

It is recommended by multiple national and international advisory bodies including the American College of Radiology (ACR), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) to estimate the radiation dose received by the fetus from CT.

This, however, is difficult to perform and requires dedicated techniques and skills by medical physicists.

We developed a tool which provides the unique ability to calculate radiation doses received by the fetus from CT examinations using only a few input parameters. The algorithm employed by the tool is based on Monte Carlo simulations performed on computational phantoms and real data of pregnant patients at different gestational stages.

This tool is vendor-independent and can be used for CT examinations of any kind, covering any length and body part.

The tool was validated and guaranties high accuracy of radiation dose calculations.