Unwanted radiation produced by leakage neutrons from medical electron accelerators

Med Phys. 1982 Jan-Feb;9(1):34-6. doi: 10.1118/1.595067.

Abstract

Monte Carlo calculations have been made to determine the energy delivered to a phantom by neutrons escaping from the head of a Varian Clinac 35 medical accelerator at an SSD of 1 m. The energy was sorted into two regions: inside and outside a volume defined by a circular beam of area 100 and 600 cm2. For the two beam sizes, the energies outside the treatment volume were 12 and 8.7 g-rad (per photon rad) respectively. Room scattering increased these values by about 20%. These energies are smaller than those delivered by scattered photons by more than ten times.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Models, Structural
  • Monte Carlo Method
  • Neutrons*
  • Particle Accelerators*
  • Radiotherapy Dosage
  • Radiotherapy, High-Energy / instrumentation*
  • Scattering, Radiation