The Development of Whole-body High-resolution Voxel Models of the Average Japanese Adult Male and Female

Abstract

We have developed high-resolution voxel models of the whole body from MR images of Japanese adult male and female volunteers. These models can be used for dosimetry simulation of exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields over 1GHz. The MR images were taken by making a series of scans over several days; that is, a subject was scanned in several blocks. Scan parameters were optimized for head and body, respectively, in order to get practical contrast and to save data acquisition time. An implement was used to keep the position and form of the subject. All of the MR images were converted to TIFF format. The continuities between different blocks of the data were corrected to form a whole body. Furthermore, the resolution of the images was changed into 2×2mm. Male and female models were segmented into 51 tissues and organs. This segmentation was performed manually using popular image-processing software. The developed models consisted of isotropic voxels with a side of 2mm. Although the masses of the skin and small-sized tissues and organs of the models deviated from the averaged values for Japanese due to the limitation of spatial resolution, the masses of the other tissues and organs and the morphometric measures were nearly equivalent to those of the average Japanese. The models are the first voxel models of the average Japanese that can be used for the dosimetry of electromagnetic fields over 1GHz. Furthermore, the female model is the first of its kind in the world. The models can also be used for various numerical simulations related to Japanese human bodies in other fields of research.