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PubMedDate not supplied

A dose computation model for 241Am vaginal applicators including the source-to-source shielding effects.

A dose computation model has been developed for the determination of dose distributions around vaginal plaque applicators containing encapsulated 241Am sources. Encapsulated sources of 241Am emit primarily 60-keV photons which have a half-value layer thickness of 1/8 mm of lead. This makes possible highly effective in vivo shielding of normal tissues at risk, by placing thin lead shields at appropriate places on the applicator. However, self-absorption of photons in the source material itself is intense, requiring bulky sources of about 1 cm diameter. These sources also produce considerable source-to-source shielding which must be taken into account in dose calculations. Our dose computation model for a single source employs three-dimensional integration of dose contributions from volume elements of the source including the effects of absorption and scattering of photons in the source material, titanium encapsulation, and water. An empirical correction to Berger's data on buildup factors of point, isotropic sources is made to account for the effects of anisotropic photon emission by cylindrical 241Am sources. The second part of our dose computation model takes into account source-to-source shielding effects on both primary and scattered photons for the vaginal plaque geometry. The results of the model have been verified for accuracy by comparisons with extensive dosimetry measurements using lithium fluoride thermoluminescent dosimeters.

Americium↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Anisotropy functions for 103Pd, 125I, and 192Ir interstitial brachytherapy sources.

Anisotropy of dose distributions around 103Pd, 125I, and 192Ir sources for interstitial brachytherapy was examined. Dose rates around 125I models 6702 and 6711 and 192Ir sources were measured using lithium fluoride thermoluminescence dosimeters (LiF TLDs) in a water-equivalent, solid phantom. From these measured data for 125I and 192Ir and the previously published measured data for 103Pd, isodose rate contours were determined using a bivariate interpolation and smooth surface fitting algorithm. The anisotropy functions, F(r,theta), as defined by the Interstitial Collaborative Working Group (ICWG) for each source, were determined. Also, 4 pi-averaged anisotropy factors, phi an(r), for use in point source approximation, have been calculated at radial distances varying from 1-10 cm for 103Pd, 125I, and 192Ir sources. The anisotropy factors had average values of 0.90, 0.93, 0.95, and 0.98 for 103Pd, 125I model 6711, 125I model 6702, and 192Ir, respectively. The anisotropy factors determined from dose measurements in phantom are observed to be closer to unity than from those determined previously from in-air measurements. This can be attributed to the smoothing of two-dimensional dose distributions due to the presence of more scattered photons in the phantom measurements compared to in-air measurements. Because in-phantom measurements simulate more closely the brachytherapy patient, data from these experiments are recommended for a more accurate determination of dose distributions around clinical brachytherapy implants. In this work, we present a complete set of source data for two-dimensional dosimetry following the ICWG formalism.

Anisotropy↗