Successful delivery of conformal fields requires stringent immobilization and treatment verification, as well as knowledge of the setup reproducibility. [1] Before coming OBI, electronic portal imaging detector was used to detect the setup errors. EPID images are not clear vision to identify correctly and immediately because they were produced by megavoltage X-ray during treatment setup. In OBI...

This study investigates trends in perinatal mortality rates in Fukushima Prefecture and four neighboring prefectures (Miyagi, Gunma, Tochigi, and Ibaraki) before and after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011. Beginning in 2012, perinatal mortality rates deviate upwards from the trend in preceding years; the monthly data show significant peaks in May 2012 and March 2013. It is unlikely ...

PURPOSE This report describes the value of a voluntary error reporting system and the impact of a series of quality assurance (QA) measures including checklists and timeouts on reported error rates in patients receiving radiation therapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS A voluntary error reporting system was instituted with the goal of recording errors, analyzing their clinical impact, and guiding the ...

Littoral (lake shore) macroinvertebrate communities were studied in eight natural lakes affected by fallout from the Chernobyl accident. The lakes spanned a range in (137)Cs contamination from 100 to 15500 kBq m(-2) and estimated external dose rates ranged from 0.13 to 30.7 μGy h(-1). General linear models were used to assess whether abundance of individuals, taxon richness, Berger-Parker domin...

1 Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI Department of Radiation Oncology, University, of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI Division of Radiation Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Departments of Urology and Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX William Beaumont Hospital, R...

Radiolabeled antibodies are analyzed from the classical approach in radiation oncology being compared to geometric isotopic implants, external radiation, and tumor-dose response and energy of the isotope used for cytotoxicity. In addition, physiological factors that limit antibody uptake, varied routes of administration, toxicity of treatment, as well as present clinical progress are reviewed.

With the advent of high-energy collimators and dual-head coincidence cameras, standard nuclear medicine facilities will soon begin imaging with PET isotopes. The use of 511-keV emitters raises new radiation safety concerns for technologists traditionally limited to handling 99mTc and other low-energy isotopes. This article is a basic review of positron emitters, measurement concerns, exposure r...

This research focuses on morbidity-mortality reviews and internal outcome focus studies. Definitions are provided as well as a complete discussion of the ideal parameters to consider when constructing each of these. The implementation of the design characteristics used may be of assistance to a center pursuing achievement of these requirements toward accreditation to exemplify continuous qualit...

STUDY OBJECTIVE To investigate whether the occupational exposure to external ionising radiation of men employed at the Sellafield nuclear installation, West Cumbria, affects the sex of the children they subsequently father. DESIGN A retrospective cohort study using logistic regression to analyse the sex ratio, in particular in relation to paternal preconceptional irradiation. SETTING AND PA...