X-ray radiation dose Flashcards
What is radiation?
Radiation is a means by which energy is transported through space or through matter
What are some examples of radiation?
Light, X-rays and radio waves are all forms of electromagnetic radiation
They exhibit both wave and particle like behaviour
There is no mass associated with the transfer of energy
Particles (with mass) can be viewed as radiations as they carry energy
Sound can be also viewed as a form of radiation as it has the properties of waves and carries energy
Radiation Ionising &
Non-ionising
Ionising
X-rays, g-rays, a-particles, b-particles, neutrons, cosmic rays
Non-ionising
Light, ultraviolet, infra-red, radio waves, microwaves, ultrasound
X-ray Radiation Dose Risk
Different measures of radiation dose
Absorbed dose
Equivalent dose
Effective dose
Absorbed Dose
Only absorbed energy can cause biological damage
A starting point for understanding such damage is to describe & quantify the absorbed dose
X-rays photons transfer energy into a material as kinetic energy of charged particles (electrons)
These electrons deposit their energy along ionization tracks
The energy per unit mass deposited by
Absorbed Dose
The primary physical quantity used in dosimetry is called the absorbed dose
It is defined as the energy absorbed per unit mass from any kind of ionizing radiation in any target
The SI unit of absorbed dose is called the gray and has SI base units of J kg-1
Measures of Radiation Dose: Equivalent Dose
Appropriate weighting factors can be applied to the absorbed dose reflecting the different relative biological effects of different types of radiation
This is termed the equivalent dose
Measure of the radiation dose to tissue where an attempt has been made to allow for the different relative biological effect of different types of ionizing radiation
Equivalent dose is therefore a less fundamental quantity than radiation absorbed dose but is more biologically significant.
Equivalent dose has SI units called sieverts and has SI base units of J kg-1
Equivalent dose (HT)
equation
Calculated by multiplying the average absorbed dose to the organ or tissue (DT) by a weighting factor (wR)
The weighting factor is selected for the type and energy of the radiation incident on the body
H,T,R= W,R x D,T,R
Measures of Radiation Dose: Different tissues of the body respond differently to radiation
The probability for stochastic effects that result from a given equivalent dose will generally depend upon the particular tissue or organ irradiated
A tissue weighting factor (wT) is introduced to account for this, giving rise to the concept of effective dose
Effective Dose (E)
Effective dose, E, is proportional to the stochastic health effects of radiation in humans
It takes into account the radio-sensitivity of different organs and also the equivalent dose to each organ
In radiography the only way to estimate effective dose is to
Measure the Entrance Surface Dose (ESD) or DAP for a specific examination (e.g. chest exam)
Lookup the effective dose for that examination in a published table
These tables are compiled using mathematical models to estimate internal organ doses
More commonly, diagnostic reference levels are used to gauge radiation received from a particular examination..?
National Diagnostic Reference Levels
Dose measurement audits for specific examinations can be undertaken within your department
ESD or DAP levels can be compared to the published diagnostic reference levels
They can also be used to estimate effective dose (risk) for specific examinations
Practical patient dose measurements in radiography
Entrance Surface Dose measured with:
Dosimeter
Directly
Phantom
TLD
Dose Area Product (DAP)
Entrance Surface Dose
The entrance surface dose (ESD) is equivalent to the absorbed dose in air at the surface of skin on the central beam axis at the position of the patient or phantom surface
Backscattered radiation from the patient is included in the measurement
It is also referred to as the entrance air kerma or the entrance surface air kerma (kerma - kinetic energy released in the medium)
Entrance Surface Dose Measurement
Can be measured with an ionisation chamber (dosimeter) close to the patient’s skin – this is generally not practical
Can be measured using a suitable test phantom – but may not represent the patient or spread of patients accurately
Dose Area Product (DAP)
DAP is a quantity that is becoming more common in assessing diagnostic reference levels in radiography
It is defined as theabsorbed dose(in air) multiplied by the area irradiated, expressed inGy·cm2
Sometimes theprefixedunits mGy·cm2or cGy·cm2are also used
DAP reflects not only the dose within the radiation field but also the area oftissueirradiated
Therefore, it may be a better indicator of the overall risk of inducing cancer than the dose within the field
Effective dose (risk) can be estimated from DAP
It also has the advantages of being easily measured, with the permanent installation of a DAP meter on the X-ray set