Author: Wesley E. Bolch, Natalia Estefania Carrasco-Rojas, Chansoo Choi, Robert Joseph Dawson, Aitor Gallastegui Menoyo, Rowan James Milner, Bangho Shin, Maria M. Von Chamier 👨🔬
Affiliation: University of Florida 🌍
Purpose: To develop a tetrahedralizable mesh-type phantom of a male beagle dog to later perform Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations and calculate organ doses using monoenergetic photons, electrons and alpha emitters. This canine phantom will have dosimetric applications such as (1) evaluate the calculated organ dose estimates computed using Monte Carlo with the results of the radionuclide inhalation experiments performed on beagle dogs during the cold-war era and (2) serve as a guideline for the development of a microCT based model of the skeletal system.
Methods: CT and MR images of a beagle dog were used as a starting point and then imported into the image analysis software, 3D slicer, to segment the different tissues within the dog. Following the segmentation of all tissues, these structures were imported into the 3D modeling software Blender. This made possible the integration of individual organ contours and generate the polygon-mesh model of individual organs as well as the outer contour of the body while avoiding mesh-mesh intersections. Additional modeling changes were performed to ensure the accurate representation of specific tissues such as the lumen in the GI track and the urinary bladder.
Results: A tetrahedral mesh-based phantom model of a male beagle dog was constructed, which later will be used to perform Monte Carlo simulations for internal dosimetry studies.
Conclusion: The development of a male beagle dog mesh-type phantom was completed. Some of the future dosimetric applications of this mesh-type phantom include internal dosimetry for comparison with previous inhalation experiments as well as serving as a platform for further improvements to that phantom such as the addition of a detailed microCT based skeletal system model within the spongiosa and medullary cavity regions. Work support by Grant P01 AI165380 with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).