MRP 106 – DOSIMETRY

PM1610-doctor

Co-ordinator:  Panayiotakis George

Lecturers: Harry Delis, Gerasimos Messaris, George Panayiotakis, Spyros Papatheodorou

Aim and Objectives:

The aim of this course is to provide students with a basic understanding of medical radiation dosimetry. Starting from the basic quantities and units it will introduce participants to the basic principles, functionality and limitations of different types of dosimeters for different types of applications and measurements. The accuracy and uncertainly of all dosimetry measurements from the calibration laboratory to the clinics will be discussed in detail. The link of the radiation dose to the inherent risk of radiation and the radiation effects will be explained.

Course Content:

  1. Dosimetry quantities and units:  Dosimetry formalism.Radiation fields: Fluence and energy fluence. Energy transferred, net energy transferred, energy imparted. Kinetic energy released per unit mass (kerma, collision kerma). Absorbed dose and the relationship with kerma.  
  2. Charged particle equilibrium in dosimetry: Relationships between the absorbed dose, collision kerma and exposure under charched particle equilibrium (CPE).  Application of CPE, conditions that enable CPE and caused of its failure
  3. Cavity theory: Bragg-Grey cavity theory. The Fano Theorem. Other cavity sizes.
  4. Instrumentation for dosimetry: Radiation detectors and dosimeters (ionization chambers, semiconductor, film, thermoluminescence and optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters). Calibration and traceability. Standard calibration laboratories. Instrumentation for occupational and public exposure measurements.
  5. Patient dosimetry: Application of specific quantities and their measurement. Risk related quantities and their estimation. Organ and effective dose and relevant conversion coefficients. Uncertainty of dosimetry measurements. Dose management.

Suggested Textbooks

  • P. Andreo, D.T. Burns, A.E. Nahum, J. Seuntjens. Fundamentals of Ionizing Radiation Dosimetry: Textbook and Solutions. Wiley, 2017.
  • International Atomic Energy Agency.  Absorbed Dose Determination in External Beam Radiotherapy: An International Code of Practice for Dosimetry based on Standards of Absorbed Dose to Water, TRS-398, IAEA, 2006.
  • International Atomic Energy Agency.  Dosimetry in Diagnostic Radiology: An International Code of Practice, TRS-457, IAEA, 2007.
  • F.H. Attix. Introduction to Radiological Physics and Radiation Dosimetry, Wiley, 1991.
  • Lecture notes

Grading policy

Written examinations.