MRP 106 – DOSIMETRY

PM1610-doctor

Co-ordinator:  George Kagadis

Lecturers: George Panayiotakis, Spyros Papatheodorou, Dimitris Nikolopoulos, Dimitris Michailidis, Evgenia Mylona, George Bourandas

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.