Abstract
The effective energy of diagnostic X-rays is important for quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC). However, the half-value layer (HVL), which is necessary to evaluate the effective energy, is not ubiquitously monitored because ionization-chamber dosimetry is time-consuming and complicated. To verify the applicability of GAFCHROMIC XR type R (GAF-R) film for HVL measurement as an alternative to monitoring with an ionization chamber, a single-strip method for measuring the HVL has been evaluated. Calibration curves of absorbed dose versus film density were generated using this single-strip method with GAF-R film, and the coefficient of determination (r2) of the straight-line approximation was evaluated. The HVLs (effective energies) estimated using the GAF-R film and an ionization chamber were compared. The coefficient of determination (r2) of the straight-line approximation obtained with the GAF-R film was more than 0.99. The effective energies (HVLs) evaluated using the GAF-R film and the ionization chamber were 43.25 keV (5.10 mm) and 39.86 keV (4.45 mm), respectively. The difference in the effective energies determined by the two methods was thus 8.5%. These results suggest that GAF-R might be used to evaluate the effective energy from the film-density growth without the need for ionization-chamber measurements.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 26-29 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Australasian Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine |
Volume | 32 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2009 |
Keywords
- Effective energy
- Half-value layer
- Quality assurance
- Quality control
- Radiochromic film
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biophysics
- Biomedical Engineering
- Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging
- Physics and Astronomy(all)