Correlation Between Routine Personal Dosimetry Reading and the Dose to the Brain of Interventional Staff

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the brain absorbed dose and personal dosimetry readings in interventional cardiologists. Interventional procedures were replicated using Monte Carlo simulations (MCNP 6) with anthropomorphic phantoms representing both operator and patient. Absorbed doses were evaluated for 10 predefined regions of the operator’s brain as well as for dosemeters at chest and neck level. One beam quality (HVL = 6.2 mm Al) and nine beam projections were considered. A significant bias in the laterality of brain dose was found with doses at the left side of the brain being up to 2.8 times higher compared with the right. The correlation between brain dose and dosemeter reading was found to be dependent on beam projection. Yet, a generalized conversion factor (brain dose normalized by Hp(10)), averaged over all considered beam projections, could be proposed for (retrospective) brain dose estimation from routinely measured dosimetry data.