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Feasibility study: In vivo neutron activation for regional measurement of calcium using Californium 252
Author(s) -
Evans Harlan J.,
LeBlanc Adrian D.,
Johnson Philip C.
Publication year - 1976
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 - 10.1118/1.594218
Subject(s) - collimated light , californium , neutron activation , imaging phantom , radiochemistry , neutron activation analysis , nuclear medicine , calcium , neutron , neutron temperature , sodium iodide , neutron source , dosimetry , in vivo , materials science , chemistry , nuclear magnetic resonance , nuclear physics , medicine , physics , optics , laser , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , metallurgy
The feasibility of using a collimated 252 Cf neutron source to measure regional changes in skeletal calcium was tested because in vivo regional activation of diseased bone should offer advantages over the more widely reported total‐body calcium measuring techniques. Regional activation allows examination of discrete regions where the greatest changes in calcium content occur. Additionally, a simpler radiation facility is required for regional studies. Using a 5.5‐μg 252 Cf source, thermal neutron flux and absorbed dose were measured in a tissue‐equivalent phantom. Detection efficiency of 49 Ca γ rays for conditions simulating regional activation were measured using a 29‐cm‐diameter ×10‐cm‐thickness sodium iodide detector. These in vitro measurements indicate that a collimated 252 Cf source can be used for regional neutron activation of the lower spine and legs. Preliminary calculations indicate that a 1–3‐mg source provides adequate count rates for statistical accuracy with a bone marrow dosage acceptable for human patients and normal subjects.