• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.53-58
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• 2018

This paper evaluates patient-specific quality assurance (PSQA) in the treatment of small and multiple tumors by the CyberKnife system with fixed collimators, using an ion chamber and EBT3 films. We selected 49 patients with single or multiple brain tumors, and the treatment plans include one to four targets with total volumes ranging from 0.12 cc to 3.74 cc. All PSQA deliveries were performed with a stereotactic dose verification phantom. The A16 microchamber (Standard Imaging, WI, USA) and Gafchromic EBT3 film (Ashland ISP Advanced Materials, NJ, USA) were inserted into the phantom to measure the point dose of the target and the dose distribution, respectively. The film was scanned 1 hr after irradiation by a film digitizer scanner and analyzed using RIT software (Radiological Imaging Technology, CO, USA). The acceptance criteria was <5% for the point dose measurement and >90% gamma passing rate using 3%/3 mm and relative dose difference, respectively. The point dose errors between the calculated and measured dose by the ion chamber were in the range of -17.5% to 8.03%. The mean point dose differences for 5 mm, 7.5 mm, and 10 mm fixed cone size was -11.1%, -4.1%, and -1.5%, respectively. The mean gamma passing rates for all cases was 96.1%. Although the maximum dose distribution of multiple targets was not shown in the film, gamma distribution showed that dose verification for multiple tumors can be performed. The use of the microchamber and EBT3 film made it possible to verify the dosimetric and mechanical accuracy of small and multiple targets. In particular, the correction factors should be applied to small fixed collimators less than 10 mm.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.153-158
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• 2008

Objectives : This study describes a plan that was designed to prevent a measles outbreak that showed a changed outbreak pattern. This study is based on the epidemiological investigation of a measles outbreak in a preschool in Incheon, Korea, 2006. Methods : The subjects were 152 students at a preschool where a measles outbreak occurred. A questionnaire survey was conducted and serological testing for measles-specific IgM was preformed. Results : Of the fifteen confirmed, identified cases, eleven patients had been vaccinated with one dose, one patient had received two doses and three patients were unvaccinated. The three unvaccinated cases consisted of one 5-year-old child, one 3-year-old child and one 16-month-old infant. For the cases with one dose of the vaccination, there were 11 cases, which consisted of six 5-year-old children, two 4-year-old children, two 3-year-old children and one 2-year-old child. The case with two doses of the vaccination was one 4-year-old child. The attack rate of measles was 100% in the 0-dose group, 11.2% in the 1-dose group and 2.0% in the 2-dose group. The vaccine's efficacy was 88.8% in the 1-dose group and 98.0% in the 2-dose group. The vaccine effectiveness for the 2-dose group was higher than that of the 1-dose group. Conclusions : High coverage with a 2-dose vaccination should be maintained, and the vaccination should be given at the suitable time to prevent a measles outbreak with a changed outbreak pattern.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.424-435
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• 2016

Background: The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommendations and the Federal Guidance Report (FGR) published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have been widely applied worldwide in the fields of radiation protection and dose assessment. The dose conversion coefficients of the ICRP and FGR are widely used for assessing exposure doses. However, before the coefficients are used, the user must thoroughly understand the derivation process of the coefficients to ensure that they are used appropriately in the evaluation. Materials and Methods: The ICRP provides recommendations to regulatory and advisory agencies, mainly in the form of guidance on the fundamental principles on which appropriate radiological protection can be based. The FGR provides federal and state agencies with technical information to assist their implementation of radiation protection programs for the U.S. population. The system of radiation dose assessment and dose conversion coefficients in the ICRP and FGR is reviewed in this study. Results and Discussion: A thorough understanding of their background is essential for the proper use of dose conversion coefficients. The FGR dose assessment system was strongly influenced by the ICRP and the U.S. National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP), and is hence consistent with those recommendations. Moreover, the ICRP and FGR both used the scientific data reported by Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation (BEIR) and United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) as their primary source of information. The difference between the ICRP and FGR lies in the fact that the ICRP utilized information regarding a population of diverse races, whereas the FGR utilized data on the American population, as its goal was to provide guidelines for radiological protection in the US. Conclusion: The contents of this study are expected to be utilized as basic research material in the areas of radiation protection and dose assessment.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.61-65
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• 2001

This study was conducted to find out gamma dose rate in Seoul, from January to December in 2000, and the following results were achieved ; 1. The annual gamma dose rate in Seoul was $17.24{\mu}R/hr$ as average. 2. The annual gamma dose rate in subway of Seoul was $14.96{\mu}R/hr$ as average. 3. The highest annual gamma dose rate was Dong-daemon ku. 4. Annual gamma dose rate in Seoul was higher autumn than winter.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.240-248
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• 2009

Purpose: To provide a simple research tool that may be used to analyze a dose volume histogram from different radiation therapy planning systems for NTCP (Normal Tissue Complication Probability), OED (Organ Equivalent Dose) and so on. Materials and Metohds: A high-level computing language was chosen to implement Niemierko's EUD, Lyman-Kutcher-Burman model's NTCP, and OED. The requirements for treatment planning analysis were defined and the procedure, using a developed GUI based program, was described with figures. The calculated data, including volume at a dose, dose at a volume, EUD, and NTCP were evaluated by a commercial radiation therapy planning system, Pinnacle (Philips, Madison, WI, USA) for comparison. Results: The volume at a special dose and a dose absorbed in a volume on a dose volume histogram were successfully extracted using DVH data of several radiation planning systems. EUD, NTCP and OED were successfully calculated using DVH data and some required parameters in the literature. Conclusion: A simple DVH analyzer program was developed and has proven to be a useful research tool for radiation therapy.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.421-430
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• 1993

The calculation of dose distribution in multiple arc stereotactic radiotherapy is a three-dimensional problem and, therefore, the three-dimensional dose calculation algorithm is important and the algorithm's accuracy and reliability should be confirmed experimentally. The aim of this study is to verify the dose distribution of stereotactic radiosurgery experimentally and to investigate the effect of the beam quality, the number of arcs of radiation, and the tertiary collimation on the resulting dose distribution. Film dosimetry with phantom measurements was done to get the three-dimensional orthogonal isodose distribution. All experiments were carried out with a 6 MV X-ray, except for the study of the effects of beam energy on dose distribution, which was done for X-ray energies of 6 and 15 MV. The irradiation technique was from 4 to 11 arcs at intervals of from 15 to 45 degrees between each arc with various field sizes with additional circular collimator. The dose distributions of square field with linear accelerator collimator compared with the dose distributions obtained using circular field with tertiary collimator. The parameters used for comparing the results were the shape of the isodose curve, dose fall-offs fom $90\%$ to $50\%$ and from $90\%\;to\;20\%$ isodose line for the steepest and shallowest profile, and $A=\frac{90\%\;isodose\;area}{50\%\;isodose\;area-90\%\;isodose\;area}$(modified from Chierego). This ratio may be considered as being proportional to the sparing of normal tissue around the target volume. The effect of beam energy in 6 and 15 MV X-ray indicated that the shapes of isodose curves were the same. The value of ratio A and the steepest and shallowest dose fall-offs for 6 MV X-ray was minimally better than that for 15 MV X-ray. These data illustrated that an increase in the dimensions of the field from 10 to 28 mm in diameter did not significantly change the isodose distribution. There was no significant difference in dose gradient and the shape of isodose curve regardless of the number of arcs for field sizes of 10, 21, and 32 mm in diameter. The shape of isodose curves was more circular in circular field and square in square field. And the dose gradient for the circular field was slightly better than that for the square field.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.203-205
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• 2005

Purpose: This study was aimed to compare skin entrance dose of digital radiography with that of film radiography and to show the dose reduction achievement with digital systems at 11 dental schools in Korea. Materials and Methods: Forty six intraoral radiographic systems in 11 dental schools were included in this study. Digital sensors were used in 33 systems and film was used in 13 systems. Researchers and the volunteer visited 11 dental schools in Korea. Researchers asked the radiologic technician (s) at each school to set the exposure parameters and aiming the x-ray tube for the periapical view of the mandibular molar of the volunteer. The skin entrance doses were measured at the same exposure parameters and distance by the technician for each system with a dosimeter (Multi-O-Meter : Unfors instruments, Billdal, Sweden). Results: The median dose was $491.2{\mu}Gy$ for digital radiography and $1,205.0{\mu}Gy$ for film radiography. The skin entrance dose in digital radiography was significantly lower than that of film radiography (p<0.05). Conclusion: Fifty-nine percent skin entrance dose reduction with digital periapical radiography was achieved over the film radiography in Korean dental schools.

• The Korean Journal of Food & Health Convergence
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.23-31
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• 2018

The main issue of CT is radiation dose reduction to patient. The purpose of this study was to estimate the image quality and dose by iterative reconstruction (IR) for adults and pediatrics. Adult and pediatric images of phantom were obtained with 120 and 140 kV, respectively, in accordance with radiation dose in terms of volume CT dose index ($CTDI_{vol}$): 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 mGy. Then, the adult and the pediatric images are reconstructed by filtered-backprojection (FBP) and iterative reconstruction (IR). The images were analyzed by signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). SNR is improved when IR and 140 kV are applied to acquire adult and pediatric images. In the adult abdomen, according to diagnostic reference level, the SNR values of bone were increased about 27.84 % and 27.77 % at 120 kV and 140 kV, and the tissue's SNR values of the IR were increased about 29.84 % and 33.46 % 120 and 140 kV, respectively. Dose is reduced to 40% in adults abdomen images when using IR reconstruction. In pediatric images, the bone's SNR were also increased about 17.70% and 18.17 % at 120 kV and 140 kV. The tissue's SNR were increased about 26.73 % and 26.15 % at 120 kV and 140 kV. Radiation dose is reduced from 30% to 50% for bone and tissue images. In the case of examinations for adult and pediatric CT, IR technique reduces radiation dose to patient, and it could be applied to adult and pediatric imaging.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.145-159
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• 2016

Objectives : The aim was to investigate the characteristics of low dose effect and non monotonic dose responses(NMDRs) and to predict the influence it might have on the health and medicine, traditional Korean medicine. Methods : By investigating recently published major literatures related to low dose effect and NMDRs, the definition, mechanism, major related fields, and the influence on public health and medicine has been categorized and summarized. Results : Although there are still heated debates about the definition of low dose, it implies the biological responses in environmental exposure level and the NDMDRs means the nonlinear relationship between the dose-response in the slope sign change. Also, it implies the new form of the curve showing a U, reverse U shape, and the slop sign constantly changing showing various forms. This mechanism is because the two acceptor shows opposing effects to toxic materials and the affinity is different along with the numerical value that increase and decrease being different. These characteristics generally appear in endocrine disrupters such as bisphenol A, agricultural pesticides, metal, and radiation. The research field in the public health and medical treatment is obesity, problems in metabolism, growth hormone treatment, climacteric treatment, breast cancer, intake of Korean traditional medicine for pregnancy, menopause and phytoestrogen. Conclusions : As a result of discussing implications, NMDRs is a particular effect in low dose and heated debates surround this response, research is being conducted surrounding the field of obesity, problems in metabolism, growth hormone treatment, climacteric treatment, breast cancer, intake of Korean traditional medicine for pregnancy, menopause, and phytoestrogen. More research and interest in needed as it can have a massive influence in the public health and medicine.

• The Korean Journal of Food & Health Convergence
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.15-22
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• 2018

A radiation dosimeter is important to assess quality assurance (QA) of radiation therapy devices and to estimate the radiation dose in vivo dosimetry. Recently, optically stimulated luminescence detector (OSLD) is widely used in clinical filed. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate dose, energy, and angular dependence of OSLD and EBT3 film. The absorbed dose in clinical linear accelerator (Linac) beam is calibrated for dose per monitor unit (MU). Dose, energy, and angular dependence of OSLD and EBT3 film are estimated after the calibration procedure. The absorbed dose is measured at 50, 100, 150, and 200 cGy in an 6 MV X-ray beam for dose dependence. A dose of 150 cGy is delivered to OSLD and EBT3 film with 6 and 10 MV photon energies for energy dependence. For measurements of angular dependence, angular positions of gantry are $0^{\circ}{\pm}80^{\circ}$ with 6 MV at 150 cGy. The results of dose dependence is linear for OSLD and EBT3 film. For the results of energy dependence, errors were 0.39% and 0.03% for OSLD and EBT3 film, respectively. The results of dose for angular is decreased from $0^{\circ}$ to ${\pm}80^{\circ}$ for both OSLD and EBT3 film. When angle of $0^{\circ}$ is normalized to 1, and the dose is decreased to 60 and 66% at $80^{\circ}$ for OSLD and EBT3 film, respectively. Dose and energy dependence of OSLD and EBT3 film are measured within the recommendation of manufacturer. Angular dependence is increased from $0^{\circ}$ to ${\pm}80^{\circ}$ for OSLD and EBT3 film. The characteristics of OSLD and EBT3 film are similar and expected to useful for clinical field.