In:
Medical Physics, Wiley, Vol. 35, No. 5 ( 2008-05), p. 1854-1858
Abstract:
Postoperative ‐irradiation after pterygium excision has been considered a valuable therapeutic procedure to reduce the recurrence rate. Recently, it was reported that ‐irradiation also substantially reduced the risk of surgical failure after glaucoma surgery. Pure ‐irradiation using a applicator has been almost exclusively used for this purpose. As an alternative to ‐irradiation, we propose treatment with betas of a source. While has a lower maximum energy than , it has an average energy comparable to that of . Furthermore, it can be produced easily in a nuclear reactor by neutron activation and is considered a less hazardous material. Monte Carlo simulations for the dosimetry of proposed applicators were performed using the MCNP5 code. The structure and dimension of the applicators were based on those of the applicators currently available, while medical plastic encapsulation and liquid source were chosen to enhance ‐dose to the surface of the conjunctiva. The applicator showed that the surface dose distribution (up to depth) is very similar to that of . However, beyond depth, the doses decrease with depths more rapidly than doses. In order to achieve the same surface dose rate, the required activity is about three times that for a applicator. We conclude that the proposed applicator can deliver therapeutic doses to the target lesion while sparing the lens better than the applicator. The activity required to deliver therapeutic doses can be produced in a reactor available at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0094-2405
,
2473-4209
Language:
English
Publisher:
Wiley
Publication Date:
2008
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1466421-5
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