• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.20-28
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• 2020

Purpose: The objective of this study is to perform Postal dosimetry audits for medical linear accelerators in radiation therapy institutions using glass dosimeters and Gafchromic film reading systems and postal dosimetry audit procedures, and to evaluate radiation therapy doses and mechanical accuracy in medical institutions. Methods: Photon output measured and analyzed using a standard phantom for measuring photon output dose using a glass dosimeter for medical linear accelerators. Mechanical accuracy was measured and analyzed using software for film measurement. Results: Measurement and analysis of photon beam output dose using a standard phantom glass dosimeter for photon beam output dose measurement was completed. All tolerance doses were within 5%. Mechanical accuracy measurement and analysis using a standard phantom for verifying the mechanical accuracy of linear accelerator (LINAC) using a Gafchromic film were completed, and all results were shown within tolerances (2 mm or less). Conclusions: In this study, Postal dosimetry audits were performed on the output dose and mechanical accuracy of photon beams (207 beams) for 106 LINACs from 48 institutions. As a result of corrective action and re-execution, it was confirmed that all engines met the acceptable standard within 2 mm in the linear accelerator.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.11-12
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• 2002

Accidental overexposures by radiotherapy have gathered attention recently in Japan. The widely publicized accidents have occurred at the government official benefit society hospital and at the hospital affiliated to a medical school. The accident at the government official benefit society hospital occurred when one of two existing accelerators was renewed. A radiotherapy planning system was also introduced at that time. Then treatment planning for the old and the new linear accelerator was performed using the system. There were variations in wedge factors for the 30 degrees wedge filter between the old and the new linear accelerator. That is, the difference in the structure of the wedge filter (30 degrees) resulted in variations of the wedge factors between both accelerators. In order to keep strength, a lead board was backed to the lead wedge filter for the new linear accelerator, whereas the wedge filter for the old one was made of the iron. The X-ray attenuation of the iron wedge filter is smaller than that of the lead wedge filter. The basic beam data of the old linear accelerator, however, wasn't delivered properly between the user and the maker. Then, the accident took place because the same wedge factor was used for the old and the new linear accelerator. On the other hand, the accident which occurred at the university hospital was brought about by the input mistake in initialization of the computer system when a linear accelerator was introduced. The input mistake was found when the software of the system was updated. If the dose had been measured and confirmed adequately, the accidents could have been prevented in both cases.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.85-91
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• 2011

The energy spectra for electron beam of medical linear accelerator were calculated using a GEANT4 Medical Linac 2 example code. The incident electron mean energy were 6, 9, 12, 16, 20 MeV. This code was designed to calculate electron beam energy spectra according to material, thickness and location of electron scattering foil affecting electron beam characteristic. Lead, Copper, Aluminum and Gold were used for scattering foil. The energy distribution for electron and photon were analyzed by changing position of scattering foil in the head of linear accelerator. The effect of electron scattering foil on energy spectra which is basic data of simulation for medical linear accelerator were presented. The calculated results would be used in design of medical accelerator head.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.45-48
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• 2017

This paper evaluated the amount of radiation generated by wedge filters during radiation therapy using a high-energy linear accelerator, and the dose to the worker during wedge replacement. After 10-MV photon beam was irradiated with wedge filter, the wedge was removed from the linear accelerator, and the dose rate and energy spectrum were measured. The initial measurement was approximately 1 uSv/h, and the radiation level was reduced to 0.3 uSv/h after 6 min. The effective half-life derived from the dose rate measurement was approximately 3.5 min, and the influence of AI-28 was about 53%. From the energy spectrum measurements, a peak of 1,799 keV was measured for AI-28, while the peak for Co-58 was not measured in the control room. The peaks for Au-106 and Cd-105 were found only measurement was done without wedge removement from the linear accelerator. The additional doses received by the radiation worker during wedge replacement were estimated to be 0.08-0.4 mSv per year.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.69-73
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• 1990

Dosimetric measurement of an asymmetric collimator system was performed, using water phantom system for 4MV X-ray linear accelerator. We have studied the system of dose calculation with those measured result. We compared the field size factor and the percent depth dose for asymmetric collimator to those factor for symmetric fields. The results show that we can use symmetric field data directly within 1% error, if we consider the off axis ratio(OAR).

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.123-130
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• 2008

Purpose: To provide practical education, most universities should be equipped with medical appliances in need. As compensatory measures, Gimcheon College has produced in-house dummy linac and dummy accessories, we are going to report efficiency and its usage. Materials and Methods: Dummy linear accelerator (DLINAC-001) has the same mechanical functions as rotation of gantry and collimation in linear accelerator. In addition, to maximize practical education, we have produced and utilized in-house custom blocks, wedge filters, electron cones and head rests. Results: The in-house produced linear accelerator with the same mechanical functions as the linear accelerator, DLINAC-001 can be effectively used in practicing diverse medical instruments. Conclusion: We have produced dummy linear accelerators and dummy accessories and utilized them in practice classes, which can provide the students with clinical training in diverse fields. Consequently, the students exposed to the maximized educational effectiveness can be easily equipped with the practical competence required in real clinical fields.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.145-152
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• 2021

Purpose: During the treatments of cancer patients with a linear accelerator (LINAC) using photon beams with energies ≥8 MV, the components inside the LINAC head get activated through the interaction of photonuclear reaction (γ, n) and neutron capture (n, γ). We used spectroscopy and measured the dose rate for the LINAC in operation after the treatment ended. Methods: We performed spectroscopy and dose rate measurements for three units of LINACs with a portable high-purity Germanium (HPGe) detector and a survey meter. The spectra were obtained after the beams were turned off. Spectroscopy was conducted for 3,600 seconds, and the dose rate was measured three times. We identified the radionuclides for each LINAC. Results: According to gamma spectroscopy results, most of the nuclides were short-lived radionuclides with half-lives of 100 days, except for ⁶⁰Co, ⁶⁵Zn, and ¹⁸¹W nuclides. The dose rate for three LINACs obtained immediately in front of the crosshair was in the range of 0.113 to 0.129 µSv/h. The maximum and minimum dose rates measured on weekends were 0.097 µSv/h and 0.092 µSv/h, respectively. Compared with the differences in weekday data, there was no significant difference between the data measured on Saturday and Sunday. Conclusions: Most of the detected radionuclides had half-lives <100 days, and the dose rate decreased rapidly. For equipment that primarily used energies ≤10 MV, when the equipment was transferred after at least 10 minutes after shutting it down, it is expected that there will be little effect on the workers' exposure.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.286-290
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• 2016

Background: Activation of air and water in the electron linear accelerator for medical use has not been considered severely. By the new Japanese regulation for protection of radiation hazard, it became indispensable to evaluate of activation of air and water in the accelerator room. The measurement of induced activity in air and water components in the electron energy region of 10 to 20 MeV is very difficult, because this energy region is close to the threshold energy region of photonuclear reactions. Then, we measured the photonuclear reaction yields of $^{13}N$, $^{15}O$, and $^{11}C$ by using the electron linear accelerator. Obtained data were compared with the data calculated by the Monte Carlo method. Materials and Methods: An activation experiment was performed at the Research Center for Electron Photon Science, Tohoku University. Highly purified $SiO_2$, $Si_3N_4$, and carbon disks were irradiated for 10 minutes by bremsstrahlung converted by a tungsten plate. Induced activity from C, N, and O was obtained. Monte Carlo calculation was performed using MCNP5 and AERY (DCHAIN-SP) to simulate the experimental condition. Cross section data were adopted the KAERI dataset. Results and Discussion: In our experiment in hospital, calculated values were not agreed with experimental values. It might be three possible reasons as the cause of this deference, such as irradiation energy, calculation procedure and cross section data. Obtained data of this work, calculated and experimental values were good agreement with each other within one order. In this work, we used KAERI dataset of photonuclear reaction instead of JENDL. Therefore, it was found that the photonuclear cross section data of light elements are most important for yield calculation in these reactions. Conclusion: Further improvement for calculation using a new dataset JENDL/PD-2015 and considering electron energy spreading will be needed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.249-254
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• 2014

Medical linear accelerator is used for radiotherapy since it was developed in 1952, the utilization rate is further increased. It is used high energy radiotherapy using the energy of the photon of 6 MeV or more is universal at present, but the creation of the neutron by photonuclear reaction cause a problem that is radiation exposure of patients and operators. Therefore, in this study, to analyze the spectrum of the photon beam of 6 to 24 MV that occurred in the medical linear accelerator using the Monte Carlo code MCNPX, the number of photons of 7.41 MeV or more, which is a neutron production threshold energy of tungsten and average energy. The result of 24 MV in the beginning and the 8 MV was 0.59% of the total number of detected photons and it was founded that the number of photons are increased which are possible to cause the photonuclear reaction.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.105-113
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• 1998

Accurate radiation dosimetric characters is very important to determine of dose to a radiotherapeutic patient. Medical linear accelerators have been developed not only its new quality of convenient operation but also electric moderation. It is reliable to measure more detail physical parameter that linac's internal ability. Typically, radiation dosimetric tool is classified ionization chamber, film, thermoluminescence dosimeter, etc. Nowaday, Electronic Portal Imaging Device is smeared in radiation field to verification of treatment region. EPID's image was focused that using both on-line image verification and absolutely minimum absorbed dose during radiotherapy. So, Electronic Portal Imaging was tested for quality evaluation of medical linear accelerator had its pure conditional flash. This study has performed symmetry, Light/Radiation field congruence, and energy check, geometry difference on wedge filter using a liquid filled ion chamber (EPID). Prior to irradiated on EPID, high energy photon beam is checked with ion chamber. Using these results more convenient dosimetric method is accomplished by EPID that taken digital image. Medical image is acquired with EPID too. Therefore, EPID can be analyzed by numerical information for what want to see or get more knowledge for natural human condition.