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Radiation Medicine and Protection
Article . 2025 . Peer-reviewed
License: CC BY NC ND
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Radiation Medicine and Protection
Article . 2025
Data sources: DOAJ
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Comprehensive physical evaluation of potential CT contrast agents: Integrating Monte Carlo transport simulation and radiation shielding Analysis

Authors: Yadong Zhang; Jinjia Cao; Yulong Zhang; Xiaochang Zheng; Wei Chen; Yanjun Wang;

Comprehensive physical evaluation of potential CT contrast agents: Integrating Monte Carlo transport simulation and radiation shielding Analysis

Abstract

Objective: To perform a comprehensive physical-level assessment of 13 contrast agents, including those with potential applications in CT imaging, focusing on their radiation shielding characteristics and transport behaviors—such as energy deposition, collision frequency, and attenuation performance—under low-energy X-ray conditions. Methods: A dual-method framework was adopted. Geant4 Monte Carlo simulations were used to construct an X-ray tube model and simulate contrast agent interactions in a breast-equivalent water phantom, enabling analysis of microscopic radiation transport parameters including energy deposition, track length, and collision frequency. In parallel, Phy-X/PSD software was used to calculate macroscopic attenuation indices, including the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), mean free path (MFP), half-value layer (HVL), and exposure buildup factor (EBF), over a wide photon energy range. Results: The study revealed a strong consistency between radiation shielding metrics and transport characteristics across the same energy ranges. For instance, iothalamate meglumine exhibited the highest energy deposition (0.085 60 ​MeV), shortest MFP (1.13 ​cm), and highest collision frequency (5.24 ​× ​108), indicating excellent attenuation potential in the low-energy CT range. Gadolinium- and iron-based agents, while traditionally used in MR imaging, showed distinctive and stable transport behavior at medium-to-high energies, suggesting promising utility in CT or dual-modality applications. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of integrating microscopic transport analysis with macroscopic shielding evaluation to fully characterize contrast agent performance. The study provides a validated theoretical foundation for contrast agent screening and optimization in X-ray imaging, and supports future research into clinical applicability and biological safety of emerging contrast materials.

Keywords

Medical physics. Medical radiology. Nuclear medicine, Radiation transport, CT imaging, R895-920, X-ray contrast agents, Monte Carlo simulation

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
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