Development of a hybrid multi-scale phantom for Monte-Carlo based internal dosimetry

Full text of publication follows. Aim: in recent years several phantoms were developed for radiopharmaceutical dosimetry in clinical and preclinical settings. Voxel-based models (Zubal, Max/Fax, ICRP110) were developed to reach a level of realism that could not be achieved by mathematical models. In turn, 'hybrid' models (XCAT, MOBY/ROBY, Mash/Fash) allow a further degree of versatility by offering the possibility to finely tune each model according to various parameters. However, even 'hybrid' models require the generation of a voxel version for Monte-Carlo modeling of radiation transport. Since absorbed dose simulation time is strictly related to geometry spatial sampling, a compromise should be made between phantom realism and simulation speed. This trade-off leads on one side in an overestimation of the size of small radiosensitive structures such as the skin or hollow organs' walls, and on the other hand to unnecessarily detailed voxellization of large, homogeneous structures. The Aim of this work is to develop a hybrid multi-resolution phantom model for Geant4 and Gate, to better characterize energy deposition in small structures while preserving reasonable computation times. Materials and Methods: we have developed a pipeline for the conversion of preexisting phantoms into a multi-scale Geant4 model. Meshes of each organ are created from raw binary images of a phantom and then voxellized to the smallest spatial sampling required by the user. The user can then decide to re-sample the internal part of each organ, while leaving a layer of smallest voxels at the edge of the organ. In this way, the realistic shape of the organ is maintained while reducing the voxel number in the inner part. For hollow organs, the wall is always modeled using the smallest voxel sampling. This approach allows choosing different voxel resolutions for each organ according to a specific application. Results: preliminary results show that it is possible to reduce MC simulation time whilst maintaining a high resolution in the absorbed dose distribution in the selected volumes (bladder, kidneys). We will present absorbed doses obtained in more critical organs in comparison to those obtained in a non-modified version of the ICRP110 model used in a parallel project (Dositest), and compare respective simulation times. Conclusions: the proposed multi-resolution approach offers the possibility to accurately model internal structures of some organs (i.e. kidney medulla and cortex, bone marrow) while performing whole body absorbed dose calculations, in an effort to better take into account the functional consequences of irradiation induced by radiopharmaceuticals. (authors)