Voxel Radiation Dose Mapping for Organ-Specific CT Exposure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for calculating radiation exposure doses in CT scans fail to accurately assess doses received by specific organs, particularly those sensitive to radiation, and do not account for the self-repair processes of tissue, leading to inaccurate dose calculations and potential health risks.
Innovation Solution
A radiation exposure dose management apparatus utilizing a deep learning method with a U-Net architecture to generate voxel radiation dose distribution maps from CT or PET/SPECT-CT images, and incorporates a correction factor for tissue self-repair to provide accurate, real-time organ-specific dose calculations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional methods are used to calculate radiation exposure dose, then the calculation process is simple, but the measurement precision of organ-specific radiation dose is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the radiation dose calculation into multiple components: it divides the patient's body into multiple organs and tissues, calculates radiation dose for each segment separately using CT image data and scan parameters, then combines these segment-specific doses to provide comprehensive organ-specific dose assessment. This segmentation enables precise measurement of radiation doses to specific organs while maintaining systematic organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary calculation model that mediates between raw CT image data/scan parameters and final organ-specific dose values. This intermediary system processes the input data through a structured calculation framework, transforming it into accurate organ-specific dose measurements without requiring direct complex interactions between all system components.
2Reliability
If average radiation exposure dose values are added together for overlapping scan ranges, then the calculation is straightforward, but the reliability of radiation dose assessment for sensitive organs is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by calculating radiation dose specifically for each organ and tissue type rather than using a uniform average dose approach. It considers the unique radiation exposure characteristics of each local region, using CT image data and scan parameters to determine organ-specific doses. This local化的 calculation significantly improves reliability for sensitive organs while maintaining computational efficiency through structured processing.
3Reliability
If real-time organ-specific dose calculation is implemented, then patient safety is improved, but the computational resources and processing time required increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-processing CT image data and scan parameters before the actual dose calculation. It extracts relevant features and prepares calculation inputs in advance, which accelerates the real-time organ-specific dose calculation process. This preliminary preparation enables rapid computation while maintaining high reliability for patient safety assessment.
Data Source
AI summary
A radiation exposure dose management apparatus according to an embodiment is a radiation exposure dose management apparatus that manages a radiation dose received by a subject and includes processing circuitry configured: to obtain image data of the subject; to segment the image data in accordance with organs of the subject; to generate a voxel radiation dose distribution map indicating a radiation exposure dose of each of the voxels on the basis of a specific radiation exposure dose model and the image data; and to calculate a radiation exposure dose of each of the organs on the basis of the segmented image data and the radiation exposure dose of each of the voxels within the generated voxel radiation dose distribution map.