• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.47-58
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• 1997

The conversion coefficients of effective dose per unit air kerma and equivalent dose per unit fluence were calculated by MCNP4A code for antero-posterior(AP) and postero- anterior(PA) incidence of broad, unidirectional beams of photons into anthropomorphic MIRD phantom. Calculations have been performed for 20 monoenergetic photons of energy ranging from 0.03 to 10 MeV. The conversion coefficients showed a good agreement with the corresponding values given in the draft publication of joint task group of ICRP and ICRU within 10%. The deviations may arise from the differences of geometry in the MIRD phantom and the ADAM/EVE phantoms, and the differences in the codes and cross-section data used. Inclusion of a specific oesophagus model results in effective dose slightly different(5% at most) from the effective doses obtained by adopting the equivalent doses for the thymus or pancreas. Deletion of the ULI from the remainder organ appeared not to be significant for the cases of photon dosimetry covered in this study.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.59-63
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• 2003

Purpose : Measurement of transmission dose is useful for in vivo dosimetry of QA purpose. The objective of this study is to develope an algorithm for estimation of tumor dose using measured transmission dose for open radiation field. Materials and Methods : Transmission dose was measured with various field size (FS), phantom thickness (Tp), and phantom chamber distance (PCD) with a acrylic phantom for 6 MV and 10 MV X-ray Source to chamber distance (SCD) was set to 150 cm. Measurement was conducted with a 0.6 cc Farmer type ion chamber. Using measured data and regression analysis, an algorithm was developed for estimation of expected reading of transmission dose. Accuracy of the algorithm was tested with flat solid phantom with various settings. Results : The algorithm consisted of quadratic function of log(A/P) (where A/P is area-perimeter ratio) and tertiary function of PCD. The algorithm could estimate dose with very high accuracy for open square field, with errors within ${\pm}0.5%$. For elongated radiation field, the errors were limited to ${\pm}1.0%$. Conclusion : The developed algorithm can accurately estimate the transmission dose in open radiation fields with various treatment settings.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.239-250
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• 2006

Computational anthropomorphic phantoms are computer models of human anatomy used in the calculation of radiation dose distribution in the human body upon exposure to a radiation source. Depending on the manner to represent human anatomy, they are categorized into two classes: stylized and tomographic phantoms. Stylized phantoms, which have mainly been developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), describe human anatomy by using simple mathematical equations of analytical geometry. Several improved stylized phantoms such as male and female adults, pediatric series, and enhanced organ models have been developed following the first hermaphrodite adult stylized phantom, Medical Internal Radiation Dose (MIRD)-5 phantom. Although stylized phantoms have significantly contributed to dosimetry calculation, they provide only approximations of the true anatomical features of the human body and the resulting organ dose distribution. An alternative class of computational phantom, the tomographic phantom, is based upon three-dimensional imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and computed tomography (CT). The tomographic phantoms represent the human anatomy with a large number of voxels that are assigned tissue type and organ identity. To date, a total of around 30 tomographic phantoms including male and female adults, pediatric phantoms, and even a pregnant female, have been developed and utilized for realistic radiation dosimetry calculation. They are based on MRI/CT images or sectional color photos from patients, volunteers or cadavers. Several investigators have compared tomographic phantoms with stylized phantoms, and demonstrated the superiority of tomographic phantoms in terms of realistic anatomy and dosimetry calculation. This paper summarizes the history and current status of both stylized and tomographic phantoms, including Korean computational phantoms. Advantages, limitations, and future prospects are also discussed.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.69-75
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• 2020

Background: Dose conversion coefficients (DCCs) have been commonly used to estimate radiation-dose absorption by human organs based on physical measurements of fluence or kerma. The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has reported a library of DCCs, but few studies have been conducted on their applicability to non-Caucasian populations. In the present study, we collected a total of 8 Korean pediatric and adult voxel phantoms to calculate the organ DCCs for idealized external photon-irradiation geometries. Materials and Methods: We adopted one pediatric female phantom (ETRI Child), two adult female phantoms (KORWOMAN and HDRK Female), and five adult male phantoms (KORMAN, ETRI Man, KTMAN1, KTMAN2, and HDRK Man). A general-purpose Monte Carlo radiation transport code, MCNPX2.7 (Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport extended version 2.7), was employed to calculate the DCCs for 13 major radiosensitive organs in six irradiation geometries (anteroposterior, posteroanterior, right lateral, left lateral, rotational, and isotropic) and 33 photon energy bins (0.01-20 MeV). Results and Discussion: The DCCs for major radiosensitive organs (e.g., lungs and colon) in anteroposterior geometry agreed reasonably well across the 8 Korean phantoms, whereas those for deep-seated organs (e.g., gonads) varied significantly. The DCCs of the child phantom were greater than those of the adult phantoms. A comparison with the ICRP Publication 116 data showed reasonable agreements with the Korean phantom-based data. The variations in organ DCCs were well explained using the distribution of organ depths from the phantom surface. Conclusion: A library of dose conversion coefficients for major radiosensitive organs in a series of pediatric and adult Korean voxel phantoms was established and compared with the reference data from the ICRP. This comparison showed that our Korean phantom-based data agrees reasonably with the ICRP reference data.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.1318-1322
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• 2021

To unveil and delineate the elements applicable to the radiation protection of a femoral entry shield, calculate its mass attenuation coefficient, and demonstrate its dose reduction efficacy for interventional radiologist performing transarterial embolization (TAE) of ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma (rHCC). The lead equivalency of the shield was firstly validated. Electron microscopy was used to confirm the femoral entry shield being lead-free and to analyze the elemental content, with which the mass attenuation coefficient of the shield was calculated. An adult phantom, irradiated at the upper abdomen to simulate the TAE of rHCC, was used together with a dosimeter attached to the palm of a hand phantom. The dose rates at the hand phantom were measured, with the rHCC clinical protocol, without and with the femoral entry shield placed over the right femoral access site of the adult phantom. Without using the shield, the average hand dose rate was measured to be 0.325 µSv/sec. While using the shield, it was determined to be 0.110 µSv/sec. There was significant 66% dose reduction to the hand dose of IRs performing angiographic intervention with the femoral entry shield.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 1987

Central axis percentage depth-doses, P(%), were measured at the points from the 2.5cm depth of reference point to 20 cm depth with 2.5 cm interval. Distance from the X-ray target to the water phantom($30{\times}30{\times}30cm^3$) surface was 1 m, and at this point three different beam sizes of $5cm{\phi},\;10cm{\phi},\;and\;15cm{\phi}$ were used. While the X-ray tube voltage varied from 150 to 250 kV, the tube current remained constant at 5 mA. Absorbed dose rate in water, $\dot{D}_w$, was determined using the air kerma calibration factor, $N_k$, which was derived from the exposure calibration factor, $N_x$, of the NE 2571 ion chamber. The reference exposure rate, $\dot{X}_c$, was measured using the Exradin A-2 ion chamber calibrated at ETL, Japan. The half value layers of the X-rays determined to meet ETL calibration qualities. The absorbed dose rates determined at the calibration point were compared to the values obtained from Burlin's general cavity theory, and the percentage depth-dose values determined from $N_k$ showed a good agreement with the values of the published depth dose data(BJR Suppl. 17).

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.77-84
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• 2013

Purpose: This study aimed to provide comparative measurements of the effective dose from direct and indirect digital panoramic units according to phantoms and exposure parameters. Materials and Methods: Dose measurements were carried out using a head phantom representing an average man (175 cm tall, 73.5 kg male) and a limbless whole body phantom representing an average woman (155 cm tall, 50 kg female). Lithium fluoride thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) chips were used for the dosimeter. Two direct and 2 indirect digital panoramic units were evaluated in this study. Effective doses were derived using 2007 International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommendations. Results: The effective doses of the 4 digital panoramic units ranged between $8.9{\mu}Sv$ and $37.8{\mu}Sv$. By using the head phantom, the effective doses from the direct digital panoramic units ($37.8{\mu}Sv$, $27.6{\mu}Sv$) were higher than those from the indirect units ($8.9{\mu}Sv$, $15.9{\mu}Sv$). The same panoramic unit showed the difference in effective doses according to the gender of the phantom, numbers and locations of TLDs, and kVp. Conclusion: To reasonably assess the radiation risk from various dental radiographic units, the effective doses should be obtained with the same numbers and locations of TLDs, and with standard hospital exposure. After that, it is necessary to survey the effective doses from various dental radiographic units according to the gender with the corresponding phantom.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.19-25
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• 1984

There is not yet an universal method of electron dosimetry. The Authors measured dose distributions of the electron beams from Clinac-18 by means of silicon detector connected to X-Y recorder, and compared them in water phantom with dose distributions measured by film and ion chamber, both inserted in polystyrene phantom. The results are as followings, 1. Dose in build-up region increased with the field size for all energy, and depth dose profiles of $6{\sim}12MeV$ beam under the depth of maximum dose were independent of field size, but those of 15 and 18 MeV beam were dependent on the field size. 2. The widths of penumbra by semiconductor detector were narrower than those by film for same energy beam. 3. Depth dose profiles by three different dosimeter did not coincide each other. In the build-up region, dose by semiconductor detector was lower than that by any other dosimeter.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.120-126
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• 2021

Background: This paper aims to evaluate the clinical utility and radiation dosimetry, for the mobile X-ray imaging of patients with known or suspected infectious diseases, through the window of an isolation room. The suitability of this technique for imaging coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients is of particular focus here, although it is expected to have equal relevance to many infectious respiratory disease outbreaks. Materials and Methods: Two exposure levels were examined, a "typical" mobile exposure of 100 kVp/1.6 mAs and a "high" exposure of 120 kVp/5 mAs. Exposures of an anthropomorphic phantom were made, with and without a glass window present in the beam. The resultant phantom images were provided to experienced radiographers for image quality evaluation, using a Likert scale to rate the anatomical structure visibility. Results and Discussion: The incident air kerma doubled using the high exposure technique, from 29.47 µGy to 67.82 µGy and scattered radiation inside and outside the room increased. Despite an increase in beam energy, high exposure technique images received higher image quality scores than images acquired using lower exposure settings. Conclusion: Increased scattered radiation was very low and can be further mitigated by ensuring surrounding staff are appropriately distanced from both the patient and X-ray tube. Although an increase in incident air kerma was observed, practical advantages in infection control and personal protective equipment conservation were identified. Sites are encouraged to consider the use of this technique where appropriate, following the completion of standard justification practices.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.101-104
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• 2016

Background: To protect the public from natural radioactive materials, the 'Act on safety control of radioactive rays around living environment" was established in Korea. There is an annual effective dose limit of 1 mSv for products, but the activity concentration limit for products is not established yet. Materials and Methods: To suggest the activity concentration limits for consumer goods containing NORM, in this research, we assumed the "small room model" surrounding the ICRP reference phantom to simulate the consumer goods in contact with the human bodies. Using the Monte Carlo code MCNPX, we evaluate the effective dose rate for the ICRP reference phantom in a small room with dimension of phantom size and derived the activity concentration limit for consumer goods. Results and Discussion: The consumer goods have about 1600, 1200 and $19000Bq{\cdot}kg^{-1}$ for $^{226}Ra$, $^{232}Th$ and $^{40}K$, and the activity concentration limits are about six times comparing with the values of building materials. We applied the index to real samples, though we did not consider radioactivity of $^{40}K$, indexes of the some samples are more than 6. However, this index concept using small room model is very conservative, for the consumer goods over than index 6, it is necessary to reevaluate the absorbed dose considering real usage scenario and material characteristics. Conclusion: In this research, we derived activity concentration limits for consumer goods in contact with bodies and the results can be used as preliminary screening tool for consumer goods as index concept.