Flexible dose estimation with user-defined volumes

Dose simulator software stored on a non-transitory storage medium to providing an estimate of radiation dose received by a patient during an imaging scan performed by an imaging system, the software comprising programming instructions that, if executed, enable a processor to cause the dose simulator software to:

• receive patient information about the patient, wherein the patient information comprises information about one or more physical characteristics of the patient;
• receive scan data, wherein the scan data is generated during an imaging scan of the patient by the imaging system, wherein the imaging scan is a partial imaging scan of a portion of the patient, and wherein the scan data represents partial scan data covering the portion of the patient;
• create a virtual dose model of the patient based upon the patient information and the partial scan data;
• receive a selection of a region of interest of the patient;
• perform a dose simulation on the virtual dose model of the patient or a portion thereof;
• and
• determine, based upon an outcome of the dose simulation, an estimate of the radiation dose received within the region of interest.

A method of providing an estimate of radiation dose received by a patient during an imaging scan performed by an imaging system, comprising:

• receiving patient information about the patient, wherein the patient information comprises information about one or more physical characteristics of the patient;
• receiving scan data, wherein the scan data is generated during the imaging scan of the patient by the imaging system, wherein the imaging scan is a partial imaging scan of a portion of the patient, and wherein the scan data represents partial scan data covering the portion of the patient;
• creating a virtual dose model of the patient based upon the patient information and the partial scan data;
• receiving a selection of a region of interest of the patient;
• performing a dose simulation on the virtual dose model of the patient or a portion thereof;
• and
• determining, based upon an outcome of the dose simulation, an estimate of the radiation dose received within the region of interest.