Physica Medica: European Journal of Medical Physics
Volume 26, Issue 1 , Pages 44-48, January 2010

Spatial distribution of beta extremity doses in nuclear medicine: A feasibility study with thin α-Al2O3:C TLDs

  • Pietro Mancosu

      Affiliations

    • Università degli Studi di Milano, Physics Department and INFN Sezione di Milano, Italy
    • Clinical Institute Humanitas, Radiotherapy Department, Rozzano, Italy
    • ,
  • Marie Claire Cantone

      Affiliations

    • Università degli Studi di Milano, Physics Department and INFN Sezione di Milano, Italy
    • ,
  • Ivan Veronese

      Affiliations

    • Università degli Studi di Milano, Physics Department and INFN Sezione di Milano, Italy
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Università degli Studi di Milano, Physics Department, via Celoria 16, 20133 Milano, Italy. Tel.: +39 02 50317432.
    • ,
  • Augusto Giussani

      Affiliations

    • Università degli Studi di Milano, Physics Department and INFN Sezione di Milano, Italy
    • Current address: Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.

Received 20 June 2008; received in revised form 19 January 2009; accepted 26 February 2009. published online 09 April 2009.

Abstract 

Exposures to the extremities have increased due to new therapeutic protocols involving beta sources. In this study, thermoluminescent dosimeters based on α-Al2O3:C were used to map the dose distribution to the extremities of physicians and paramedical personnel handling beta emitters. The results showed a strong inhomogeneous dose distribution between different phalanxes, fingers and hands of all the investigated subjects, without an indication of systematic trends in the dose patterns. Consequently, conventional dosimetric practices, based on the use of wrist or ring dosimeters, may be not suitable for providing reliable assessments of the inhomogeneous doses received at the fingertip.

Keywords: TLD, Extremity dosimetry, α-Al2O3:C, Beta radiation

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PII: S1120-1797(09)00015-5

doi:10.1016/j.ejmp.2009.02.004

Physica Medica: European Journal of Medical Physics
Volume 26, Issue 1 , Pages 44-48, January 2010

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