Enhanced extremity dosimetry in nuclear medicine through advanced Monte Carlo simulations

Introduction: Nuclear medicine professionals are routinely exposed to ionizing radiation during manual preparation of radiopharmaceuticals. Traditional dosimeters, like ring dosimeters, fail to accurately capture maximum doses to the extremities, which needs to be compared with the legal dose limits. As a result, extremity doses, as currently recorded in official registries, underestimate significantly the real doses.  This limitation highlights the urgent need for advanced dosimetry techniques to enhance occupational safety, including improved training and ALARA tools.

Objective: This research aims to develop and validate innovative computational methodologies that integrate artificial intelligence (AI), Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, and computer vision technologies. The goal is to provide rapid, individualized extremity and skin dose estimates for nuclear medicine staff, significantly improving dosimetry accuracy and providing an additional functionality for optimisation and training.

Methods:

•             Develop precise digital twins of clinical procedures, incorporating staff hand movements and source manipulations using advanced computer vision.

•             Combine AI algorithms and MC methods to optimize simulation parameters, enabling real-time dose estimation with reduced computational demands.

•             Create an AI-driven system to detect radiological spills and contamination using input from environmental radiation monitors.

•             Conduct rigorous benchmarking through MC simulations of realistic clinical scenarios. Validate the methodologies against measurements from physical dosimeters during actual clinical practices.

Expected Outcomes: The proposed methodologies are expected to substantially enhance radiation protection for nuclear medicine personnel by delivering personalized exposure feedback. This advancement will facilitate adherence to the ALARA principle and ensuring compliance with occupational dose limits. The research promises to contribute to safer, more efficient procedures, driving progress in the rapidly expanding field of nuclear medicine.