Organ dose conversion coefficients for external photon irradiation of male and female voxel models.

New organ equivalent dose conversion coefficients are presented for whole body irradiation with monoenergetic photons of energies between 10 keV and 10 MeV for idealized geometries and seven adult male and female voxel models. The geometries are broad parallel photon beams in anterior-posterior, posterior-anterior, left- and right-lateral direction and a full 360 degree rotation around the body length axis. Dose differences between the different voxel models are below approximately 30% for some organs and geometries in the energy range between 60 and 200 keV, but they can be up to 100% or more in single cases, due to differences in stature and individual anatomical details. For low photon energies, the differences may amount to hundreds of per cent. Extensive comparisons of the dose conversion coefficients with respective values calculated using mathematical body models revealed various degrees of unrealistic positioning of single organs in the latter models. Examples are the kidneys, spleen and stomach that are located too superficially in the mathematical models. Over- or underestimations of several tens of per cent may, thus, occur for the mathematical models, compared to the voxel models considered. In contrast to previous assumptions, when the mathematical models have been used to establish reference organ dose conversion coefficients, it can be concluded that they do not properly represent a large population of individuals.