NUKS Flashcards
Beta minus
too many?
what’s emitted?
What kind of transition
Too many neutrons
N > P
electron (beta particle) emitted from nucleus
Neutrino also emitted to balance energy
ISOBARIC - neutron and proton have same mass
ATOMIC NUMBER GOES UP
Beta emitter shielding?
PLASTIC
low Z
High Z would produce Brems
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Beta Minus
Energy down, Z up
I
I
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Energy lost and Z goes down
Proton to neutron
Beta positive decay
requires 1.02 MeV
Positron and a neutrino
511 keV x2 when positron hits electron
ISOBARIC
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No steep initial drop
loss of proton and energy
ELECTRON CAPTURE
ISOBARIC
isobaric transitions
Beta emission
positron emission
electron capture
“Isometric transitions”
when do they occur?
after an isobaric (A the same) transition
leftover energy released
Gamma emission
what type of transition
isomeric transition
nucleus emits extra energy
I
I
V
Between Isobaric transition and subsequent isomeric (GAMMA EMITTING) transitions
These usually happen bam bam, but some hang out for a minute before gamma emission, these are METASTABLE
Tc 99m example of isobaric metastable isomeric
Mo99 —> Tc99m (ISOBARIC Beta MINUS, electron emitted)
Tc99m ——> Tc99 (ISOMERIC, gamma photon (140keV))
Tc99m hangs out as metastable for a couple hours
Enemy of gamma photon emission
Internal conversion
instead of gamma emission
energy given to an electron —–> characteristic Xray or Auger
Alpha decay
use?
helium nuclei
2 protons, 2 neutrons
Slow and fat
rare treatmentn situations
bone pain cancer mets via rAdium 223 (Alpha2protons2 neutrons)
Production
Bombardment
Striking targets with
Neutrons - in a reactor
Charged particles (alpha, protons, deuterons) - in a cyclotron
Bombardment
downside to using a reactor
(bombarding with neutrons)
Leftover parent to clean up
NOT “carrier free”
Cyclotron produces via transmutation, no parents to clean up, “carrier free”
Production
Fission
Neutrons fired into large elements
split into pieces, random crap made
effective half life formula
1/effective = 1/physical + 1/biologic
What does ‘activity’ measure
units
Specific activity
disintegrations per second
Curie = Ci = 3.7x10^10 disintegrations per second
SI unit = becquerel Bq = one disintegration per second
Specific activity = activity per unit mass (Bq/g)
(longer half life = lower specific activity)
Gamma camera general set up
Photons
Collimator
Crystal
PMT’s
computer
gamma photons –> light pulse –>voltage –> picture
MC collimator “work horse”
parallel hole
Parallel hole energies and examples
low
medium
high
LOW 1 - 200 keV (Tc99, I123, Xe133, TI201)
MEDIUM 200-400 keV (Ga67, In111) (medium needs to GaIn)
High > 400 keV (I131)
Sensitivity and Resolution
when are high sensitivity collimators good
Inversely related
High sensitivity collimator allows twice as many counts to be imaged with shitty resolution
High sensitivity good for dynamic imaging (flow phase)
Distance effect on sensitivity and resolution
NO EFFECT on sensitivity (net counts the same, bigger FoV)
Resolution WORSENS with distance
Pinhole collimator
what does?
what for?
?mag
magnifies and inverts
thyroids and small parts
pinhole to detector = f
patient to pinhole = b
F>B = mag
Pinhole cons
distorts large objects
Shitty sensitivity
Converging collimator
what look like?
what does?
fan out towards detector
mags without inverting
Diverging collimator
what is
what does
Opposite of converging
fan towards patient
MINIMIZES
Able to image a large body part on a small crystal
After collimator, photons hit?
Scintillation crystal
scintillation crystal made of?
what does
NaI doped with Thallium
when hit with a gamma photon, produces a pulse of light
Thick vs thin scintillator crystal?
Thick = super sensitive, fewer pass through. PMT’s are further away = WORSE resolution
Thin = less sensitive, better resoltution
After scintillator crystal?
PMT’s
PMT’s
do what?
more means what
what do they record
detect light and convert to an electric signal
More = more light picked up, greater resolution
PMT’s record X,Y location- read by computer and..
Z location/intensity goes to pulse height analyzer
Pulse height analyzer
job?
distinguishing, discarding background crap
Compton scatter from patient is very close in energy to what you want, but can really fuck it up
Downscatter
high energy photons spill into the window of a low energy emitter, mostly via Compton scatter
Ex
V/Q with Tc (140) and Xe (81)
Tc scatter will range down from 135 -90
So if you give Tc first, subsequent Xe image will be covered in Tc scatter
USE LOWER ENERGY FIRST
SPECT and matrix
SPECT overall improves spatial resolution
image longer, looks better
Bigger matrix better but takes longer (motion problem)
and fewer counts per pixel = worse image contrast
Startifact
“septal penetration”
using medium energy collimator instead of high
Gamma camera QC
Uniformity
% allowed
what is test?
extrinsic vs intrinsic
2-5% non-uniformity
1% for SPECT
Test = Flood
Extrinsic = with collimator
Intrinsic = without
test with Co57 or NaPertech
EXTRINSIC DAILY, INTRINSIC WEEKLY
Gamma camera QC
Window setting
when?
how?
DAILY
Use a symmetric window set at peak energy used for desired test
source = syringe or vial
Gamma camera QC
Linearity and Spatial resolution
When?
How?
WEEKLY
lead line phantoms placed between collimator and a Co57 sheet. Want straight not wavy lines
linearity = lines
spatial res = they’re separate
Gamma camera QC
Center of rotation
WEEKLY
SPECT
monitor for alignment offset at COR
Tc99 point sources along axis of rotation, axis should be straight with minimal deviation
Instruments
NaI well counter
what is
con
basically a small gamma camera with a single PMT
EASILY OVERWHELMED
used for in vitro blood or urine samples, “wipe test” samples
Instruments
Thyroid probe
what is
Modified NaI counter
shielding with a small opening pointed at patient, at a precise distance, compared to a calibrated capsule of same radionuclide
Instruments
Geiger-Muller
dead time?
gas ionization chamber
sensitive to large dose, must wait for ionization to dissipate before it can respond again.
max dose = 100mR/h
Instruments
Ion chamber
no dead time problem
0.1 - 100R/h (big unit)
higher doses
less sensitive than GM counter
excellent for accurate estimates (or exposure)
Personal dosimeters
Pocket ionization detector
uses a mini-chamber
real time estimated dose
must be charged and zero’d
NOT used anymore
Solid state dosimeter
accumulated dose or rate can be read real time with LCD display
solid state think LCD
Personal dosimeters
Film badge
thin metallic radiosensitive film
degree of darkening (relative optic density) corresponds to dose
sensitive to damage by temp, humidity
Personal dosimeters
optically stimulated
Replaced film badge
chips/strips placed under a filter
Personal dosimeters
ring badge
dominant index, label in
Thermo-luminescent
Dose calibrator QA
Consistency
DAILY
should be within 5%
Dose calibrator QA
accurate readout over whole range of potentially encountered activities
check either with a large (200mCi) amount of Tc and decaying it down
or easier
use a kit with sheets of varied thickness of lead
QUARTERLY
Camera linearity and spatial res
vs
Dose calibrator linearity
Camera linearity and spatial res - WEEKLY
vs
Dose calibrator linearity - QUARTERLY
Calibrator QA
Accuracy
Standard measurements measured and compared to what they shoud be
INSTALLATION AND ANNUALLY
Dose calibrator QA
Geometry
Correction for different positioning and size (different volumes of samples with same activity)
INSTALLATION AND ANY TIME YOU MOVE DEVICE
calibrator QA mnemonic
GALCulations (decreasing frequency)
Geometry - install/move
Accuracy- annual
Linearity- quarterly
Consistency - DAILY
Major spills
Tc99
> 100 mCi