• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.55-64
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• 1998

In recent, the demand of development of the high dose rate brachytherapy source increased for substitute for Co-60 source by iridium source, since the supplying Co-60 source is very depressed and the high dose rate brachytherapy sources are entirely imported from the abroad. This study investigated the exposure rates and isotropic dose distributions for the Ir-192 source produced from $\^$191/Ir(n,r)$\^$192/Ir by nuclear reactor in Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. The activity of source was obtained an 1.012 Ci (the initial activity without encapsulation was 2,87Ci) by measurement with encapsuled stainless steel. The exposure rate of provided Ir-192 source was determined on 6.36 ${\pm}$ 0.147 Rm$^2$/h-GBq (2.350 ${\pm}$ 0.054 Rcm$^2$/mCi-hr) within ${\pm}$ 2.2% discrepancy with IC-10 ion chamber (0.14 cc) which was mounted on the acrylic jig to 5, 10 and 20 cm from the center of source. The calculated doses with 22 most significant spectrum lines were corrected with intrinsic efficiency of the germanium detector were compared to measured exposure dose rates within ${\pm}$3.8 % discrepancy. The authors confirmed the high dose rate Ir-192 source could be replaced the long decayed Co-60 source via investigation of the isotropic dose distributions in lateral, source axis and diagonal direction of source center are very closed to within 3% uncertainties. Especially, this exposure rate constant and isotropic dose distribution will be fundamental to build the high dose rate source and develop the computed therapy planning system.