Fast Monte Carlo codes for occupational dosimetry in interventional radiology

Interventional radiology techniques cause radiation exposure to both patients and operators. The proper use of protective equipment reduces the operator dose, but it is difficult to guarantee its correct use and the protection of areas such as hands or head. Computational dosimetry provides a good alternative to calculate dose values without the need for physical dosimeters.

Researchers of the gropu DRM carried out a new study where, two fast Monte Carlo simulation codes are developed: PENELOPE/penEasyIR and MCGPU-IR for the calculation of personal equivalent dose in operator for interventional radiology. They are validated against the PENELOPE code and experimental values in realistic configurations. The differences are within the accepted uncertainties in dosimetry. The main advantage is the reduction of simulation times from the hours or days required by standard codes to times around two minutes

The paper is available here: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2021.05.012