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A large‐angle coherent/Compton scattering method for measurement in vitro of trabecular bone mineral concentration
Author(s) -
Gigante G. E.,
Sciuti S.
Publication year - 1985
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 - 10.1118/1.595795
Subject(s) - compton scattering , scattering , optics , photon , coherent backscattering , materials science , incoherent scatter , physics , detector , sensitivity (control systems) , computational physics , electronic engineering , engineering
In this paper, experiments and related theoretical deductions on coherent/Compton scattering of 59.5‐keV Am 2 4 1 gamma line by bonelike materials are described. In particular, we demonstrate that a photon scattering mineralometer (PSM) can attain the best working conditions when it operates in a backscattering geometry mode. In fact, the large scattering angle we chose, ϑ=135°, allowed us to assemble a very compact source–detector device. Further, the relative sensitivity at 135° turns out to be ≃1.7 and ≃6 times bigger than at 90° and 45°, respectively. The performances of the ϑ=135° PSM we assembled were experimentally investigated; i.e., in a measuring time of 10 3 s, a ≃5‰ statistical precision for bonelike materials, such as K 2 HPO 4 –water solutions, was obtained. The large‐angle PSM device seems therefore to be very promising for trabecular bone mineral density measurements in vivo in peripheral anatomic sites.