APPLICABILITY OF PURE PROPANE GAS FOR MICRODOSIMETRY AT BRACHYTHERAPY ENERGIES: A FLUKA STUDY. Issue 3 (8th April 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chattaraj, Arghya; Selvam, T Palani
• Is Part Of: Radiation protection dosimetry. Volume 189:Issue 3(2020)
• Page Start: 286
• Page End: 293
• Publication Date: 2020-04-08
• Subjects: Radiation dosimetry -- Periodicals; Radiation -- Safety measures -- Periodicals; 363.1799
• DOI: 10.1093/rpd/ncaa041
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0144-8420

Abstract

Abstract: Applicability of pure propane gas for microdosimetric measurements at photon energies relevant in brachytherapy is studied using the Monte Carlo-based FLUKA code. Monoenergetic photons in the energy range of 20–1250 keV and brachytherapy sources such as 103 Pd, 125 I, 169 Yb, 192 Ir, 137 Cs and 60 Co are considered in the study. Using the calculated values of energy deposited in the sensitive region of LET-1/2 tissue-equivalent proportional counter filled with pure propane gas and tissue-equivalent propane gas, values of density scaling factor for the site sizes of 1 and 8 μm are obtained. The study shows that density of propane gas should be lowered by a factor of about 0.93 for 169 Yb, 192 Ir, 137 Cs and 60 Co sources for the site sizes of 1–8 μm. For 125 I source, the density of propane gas requires a scaling of 0.93 for 1 μm site size, whereas for site sizes 2–8 μm, density need not be altered. 103 Pd source does not require density scaling for site sizes 1–8 μm.