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Air‐kerma strength determination of a Yb 169 high dose rate brachytherapy source
Author(s) -
VanDamme J. J.,
Culberson W. S.,
DeWerd L. A.,
Micka J. A.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
medical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.473
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 2473-4209
pISSN - 0094-2405
DOI - 10.1118/1.2964094
Subject(s) - kerma , calibration , brachytherapy , air gap (plumbing) , nuclear engineering , dose rate , dosimetry , optics , materials science , environmental science , physics , nuclear medicine , medical physics , engineering , radiation therapy , medicine , quantum mechanics , composite material
The increased demand for high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy as an alternative to external beam radiotherapy has led to the introduction of a HDR brachytherapy isotopeYb169 . This source offers a dose rate similar toIr192HDR sources, at about one fourth the effective photon energy. This work presents the calibration of this source in terms of air‐kerma strength, based on an adaptation of the current, National Institute of Standards and Technology traceable, in air measurement technique currently used forIr192HDR sources. Several additional measurement correction factors were required, including corrections for air scatter, air attenuation, and ion recombination. A new method is introduced for determining the ion chamber calibration coefficientN k Yb169. An uncertainty analysis was also performed, indicating an overall measurement expanded uncertainty in the air‐kerma strength ( k = 2 ) of 2.2%.