Program Information
RadShield: Semi-Automated Shielding Design for CT Using NCRP 147 and Isodose Curves
M DeLorenzo1*, I Rutel2 , K Yang3 , D Wu4 , (1) University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, OK, (2) University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, OK, (3) Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, (4) University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Presentations
SU-F-P-53 (Sunday, July 31, 2016) 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM Room: Exhibit Hall
Purpose: Computed tomography (CT) exam rooms are shielded more quickly and accurately compared to manual calculations using RadShield, a semi-automated diagnostic shielding software package. Last year, we presented RadShield’s approach to shielding radiographic and fluoroscopic rooms calculating air kerma rate and barrier thickness at many points on the floor plan and reporting the maximum values for each barrier. RadShield has now been expanded to include CT shielding design using not only NCRP 147 methodology but also by overlaying vendor provided isodose curves onto the floor plan.
Methods: The floor plan image is imported onto the RadShield workspace to serve as a template for drawing barriers, occupied regions and CT locations. SubGUIs are used to set design goals, occupancy factors, workload, and overlay isodose curve files. CTDI and DLP methods are solved following NCRP 147. RadShield’s isodose curve method employs radial scanning to extract data point sets to fit kerma to a generalized power law equation of the form K(r) = ar^b. RadShield’s semi-automated shielding recommendations were compared against a board certified medical physicist’s design using dose length product (DLP) and isodose curves.
Results: The percentage error found between the physicist’s manual calculation and RadShield’s semi-automated calculation of lead barrier thickness was 3.42% and 21.17% for the DLP and isodose curve methods, respectively. The medical physicist’s selection of calculation points for recommending lead thickness was roughly the same as those found by RadShield for the DLP method but differed greatly using the isodose method.
Conclusion: RadShield improves accuracy in calculating air-kerma rate and barrier thickness over manual calculations using isodose curves. Isodose curves were less intuitive and more prone to error for the physicist than inverse square methods. RadShield can now perform shielding design calculations for general scattering bodies for which isodose curves are provided.
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