These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Characteristics of secondary electrons produced by 6, 10 and 24 MV x-ray beams.
    Author: Jursinic PA, Mackie TR.
    Journal: Phys Med Biol; 1996 Aug; 41(8):1499-509. PubMed ID: 8858733.
    Abstract:
    Megavoltage x-ray beams generated by linear accelerators (linacs) deliver their maximum dose a few centimetres below the treatment or phantom surface. This skin-sparing effect is degraded by the generation of secondary electrons as the x-ray beam passes to the patient or phantom. This work measures the characteristics of these electrons. A light-weight electromagnet was constructed that could be mounted in the block-tray position, 58 cm from the x-ray source of a Varian Clinac 2100C or 2500 linac. A field strength as high as 0.1500 T was generated, which was strong enough to sweep secondary electrons out of a 10 cm x 10 cm field. For 6, 10 and 24 MV x-ray beams, secondary contamination electrons produced 18, 38 and 65% of the surface dose, corresponding to 3, 5 and 12% of the maximum dose, respectively. A parameterized depth-dose curve for the contamination electrons was produced and was valid for all the x-ray energies studied.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]