Development of a Reference Korean Voxel Model by Adjusting the Size of the Organs and Tissues

Abstract

The objective of this study was to adjust the height, weight, and organ and tissue sizes of a Korean voxel model in order to construct a Reference Korean voxel model. The adjustment of the height and skeletal mass was achieved by scaling the voxel dimensions. The sizes of the organs and tissues were adjusted to the Reference Korean data by adding or removing voxels on the surface. The adjusted voxel model is 171 cm in height, 68 kg in weight, which exactly matches the Reference Korean data. The size of the voxels (= voxel resolution) is 1.981 min x 1.981 mm x 2.0854 mm. The organ and tissue masses of the adjusted model also are in a good agreement with the Reference Korean data; the differences are less than 7% for most of the organs and tissues. The unadjusted and adjusted voxel models were ported to the MCNPX Monte Carlo particle transport simulation code to calculate the equivalent doses to the organs and tissues and the effective doses. The calculated values were then compared in order to quantify the effect of the adjustment.