A computer controlled tele-cobalt unit.

J A Brace

doi:10.1016/0360-3016(82)90463-1

Home/Archive/PubMed

PubMed · 7153106

A computer controlled tele-cobalt unit.

J A Brace

View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

A computer controlled cobalt treatment unit was commissioned for treating patients in January 1980. Initially the controlling computer was a minicomputer, but now the control of the therapy unit is by a microcomputer. The treatment files, which specify the movement and configurations necessary to deliver the prescribed dose, are produced on the minicomputer and then transferred to the microcomputer using minitape cartridges. The actual treatment unit is based on a standard cobalt unit with a few additional features e.g. the drive motors can be controlled either by the computer or manually. Since the treatment unit is used for both manual and automatic treatments, the operational procedure under computer control is made to closely follow the manual procedure for a single field treatment. The necessary safety features which protect against human, hardware and software errors as well as the advantages and disadvantages of computer controlled radiotherapy are discussed.

Explore related subjects

Cobalt Radioisotopes Computers Radioisotope Teletherapy Journal Article

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

J A Brace. 1982. A computer controlled tele-cobalt unit.. https://doi.org/10.1016/0360-3016(82)90463-1

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related citations

PubMed2003

Validating riverine transport and speciation models using nuclear reactor-derived radiocobalt.

Risk assessment of intentional or accidental discharges of toxic substances into river systems requires combined hydraulic and chemical modeling. Periodic discharges of known volumes with low radioactivity by the Beznau nuclear reactor (Switzerland) serve as validation tracers for both river flow and chemical speciation simulation. Validation of the former has been achieved by comparison of modeled and measured arrival times of radiocobalt along a 65 km transect with a maximum reaction period of 24 hours. Modeled breakthrough curves coincide well with measurements collected during three field campaigns, in spite of the fact that sorption and sedimentation processes were not activated during simulation. This gives indirect evidence of inefficient cobalt sorption. Particle/solution distribution measurements carried out during breakthrough allow further validation of our speciation approach, which is based on Tableau setup of inorganic reactions combined with sorption and organic complexation. Modeled and measured speciation results confirm recent observations of enhanced complexation of cobalt with dissolved organic substances, which significantly reduces particle sorption. The large variability of conditional stability constants for sorption and complexation reactions, for sorption site densities, and for organic ligand concentrations explains the variability of published particle-solution distribution coefficients.

Cobalt Radioisotopes↗

PubMed2003

Spatial resolution of magnetic resonance imaging Fricke-gel dosimetry is improved with a honeycomb phantom.

The spatial accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Fricke-gel dosimetry is limited by diffusion of ferric ions. This paper describes a honeycomb structure to limit diffusion of Fe3+ ions in a three-dimensional phantom. Such a phantom containing the dosimeter gel was irradiated to a known dose distribution. Maps of dose distributions were produced from the MR images acquired at 2 and 24 hours after the dose was given. The dose distribution maps verified that the honeycomb structure precludes ion diffusion from one honeycomb cell to another, thus improving the usefulness of MRI Fricke-gel dosimetry.

Cobalt Radioisotopes↗

PubMed2003

Changes in DNA flexibility after irradiation with gamma rays and neutrons studied with the perturbed angular correlation method.

Neutron and gamma irradiation of buffered solutions of calf thymus DNA resulted in changes in the dynamics of the macromolecule. In the low-dose region (0.8-10 cGy of 239Pu-Be neutrons and 0.34-3 Gy of 60Co gamma rays), the flexibility of DNA decreased as indicated by slower rotation of the molecules. Neutrons appeared to be approximately 35 times more effective than 60Co gamma rays. The rotational correlation time, tau C, was measured using the perturbed angular correlation (PAC) method. Its variation appears to follow a linear-exponential behavior. An attempt is made to formulate this behavior as a function of the energy deposited on the macromolecule (radiation dose), the average threshold energy (dose) required to form new lesions, and the available population of intact DNA sites.

Cobalt Radioisotopes↗