Iranian South Medical Journal (Sep 2012)
Absorbed dose calculation from beta and gamma rays of 131I in ellipsoidal thyroid and other organs of neck with MCNPX code
Abstract
Background: The 131I radioisotope is used for diagnosis and treatment of hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer. In optimized Iodine therapy, a specific dose must be reached to the thyroid gland with minimum radiation to the cervical spine, cervical vertebrae, neck tissue, subcutaneous fat and skin. Dose measurement inside the alive organ is difficult therefore the aim of this research was dose calculation in the organs by MCNPX code. Materials and Methods: First of all, the input file for MCNPX code has been prepared to calculate F6 and F8 tallies for ellipsoidal thyroid lobes with long axes is tow times of short axes which the 131I is distributed uniformly inside the lobes. Then the code has been run for F6 and F8 tallies for variation of lobe volume from 1 to 25 milliliters. From the output file of tally F6, the gamma absorbed dose in ellipsoidal thyroid, spinal neck, neck bone, neck tissue, subcutaneous fat layer and skin for the volume lobe variation from 1 ml to 25 ml have been derived and the graphs are drew. As well as, form the output of F8 tally the absorbed energy of beta in thyroid and soft tissue of neck is obtained and listed in the table and then absorbed dose of bate has been calculated. Results: The results of this research show that for constant activity in thyroid, the absorbed dose of gamma decreases about 88.3% in thyroid, 6.9% at soft tissue, 19.3% in adipose layer and 17.4% in skin, but it increases 32.1% in spinal of neck and 32.3% in neck bone when the lobe volume varied from 1 to 25 milliliters. For the same situation, the beta absorbed dose decreases 95.9% in thyroid and 64.2% in soft tissue. Conclusion: For the constant activity in thyroid by increasing the thyroid volume, absorbed dose of gamma in thyroid and soft tissue of neck, adipose layer under the skin and skin of neck decreased, but it increased at spinal of neck and neck bone. Also, by increasing of the lobe volume in constant activity, the beta absorbed dose reduced. Therefore, whatever the thyroid lobe is small the administered value of 131I increased to induce the suitable dose.
