Computational methods in nuclear medicine therapy can be very useful for estimating the external dose in non-routine situations when conventional dosimeters may be inadequate or unavailable. Monte Carlo techniques provide the most accurate approach when it comes to model complex scenarios, but they are time and machine resource consuming. In this work we explore the alternative of using two fast and interactive deterministic codes, RESRAD-BUILD and MicroShield, primarily designed for radiation protection purposes, to calculate the dose in small, simple accidental scenarios, and benchmarked them with two Monte Carlo simulation tools, MCNP6 and Geant4. The absorbed dose rate in air computed by RESRAD-BUILD and compared to MicroShield showed a mean ratio of 1.01 ± 0.04 for Lu-177 and 0.99 ± 0.04 in the case of a point source and within 25% for an area source. When compared to MCNP6 and Geant4, the results revealed an overall agreement among the codes, showing a deviation below 30% in most cases, with a few exceptions that are discussed. We also propose a preliminary approach for easy modeling of patient's organs to calculate the external dose from routine therapies with deterministic methods. The suitability and limitation of these models are presented and discussed for some common applications.
Evaluation of RESRAD-BUILD and MicroShield codes for the simulation of small accident scenarios in nuclear medicine therapy patients’ rooms
Ferrari P.;
2024-01-01
Abstract
Computational methods in nuclear medicine therapy can be very useful for estimating the external dose in non-routine situations when conventional dosimeters may be inadequate or unavailable. Monte Carlo techniques provide the most accurate approach when it comes to model complex scenarios, but they are time and machine resource consuming. In this work we explore the alternative of using two fast and interactive deterministic codes, RESRAD-BUILD and MicroShield, primarily designed for radiation protection purposes, to calculate the dose in small, simple accidental scenarios, and benchmarked them with two Monte Carlo simulation tools, MCNP6 and Geant4. The absorbed dose rate in air computed by RESRAD-BUILD and compared to MicroShield showed a mean ratio of 1.01 ± 0.04 for Lu-177 and 0.99 ± 0.04 in the case of a point source and within 25% for an area source. When compared to MCNP6 and Geant4, the results revealed an overall agreement among the codes, showing a deviation below 30% in most cases, with a few exceptions that are discussed. We also propose a preliminary approach for easy modeling of patient's organs to calculate the external dose from routine therapies with deterministic methods. The suitability and limitation of these models are presented and discussed for some common applications.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
