39373 - Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy Physics

Academic Year 2017/2018

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Rimini
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Imaging and Radiotherapy techniques (cod. 8486)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the module, the student has acquired the knowledge of the energies used in nuclear medicine, radiotherapy and radiation protection. QC on equipment and TPS.

Course contents

0. Definition of Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy

- Diagnostic methods and instrumentation

- Radiometabolic therapy

- External radiotherapy

- Brachiterapy

1. Laws of the radioactive decay

- Nuclear stability/instability

- Law of radioactive decay

- Activities and units of measurement

- Multiple decay, radioactive families

- Half life and decay constant

- Stable nuclei

2. The decays

- Interaction of alpha and beta particles with the matter

- Interaction of gamma radiation with the matter

- Alpha decay

- Beta decay

- Gamma decay

- Decay schemes of isotopes frequantly used in Nuclear Medicine

3. Dosimetry

- dosimetric quantities (Exposure, absorbed Dose, Kerma)

- Field quantities

- Interaction quantities

- Cavity Theory and ionization chamber

- Measurement of the absorbed dose in water (IAEA protocol )

4. production of radioisotopes

- Operating principle of the Cyclotron

- Operating principle of "portable" radioisotopes Generators

- Nuclear fission

5. Nuclear Medicine equipment

- Scintillation Detectors

- Photomultiplier

- Gamma ray spectrometry

- Operating principle of gamma camera

- Collimators

- Operating principle of the PET scanner

- Structures of the PET scanner

- Applications: Scintigraphy, SPET, SPECT, PET, dynamic techniques

6. Radiation therapy equipment

- The LINAC

- Isocentric imaging, collimators, beam correctors

- Terminology for the correct identification of the treatment area

- Dosimetry in radiotherapy: characterization of linear accelerator and its modelling in treatment planning system (TPS).

Readings/Bibliography

  • Handouts of the teacher
  • Duccio Volterrani, Fondamenti di medicina nucleare, Springer
  • F.M. Khan, The Physics of Radiation Therapy, Williams & Wilkins
  • J.R. Greening, Fundamentals of Radiation Dosimetry
  • IAEA TRS 398 Absorbed dose determination in external beam radiotherapy: an international code of practice for dosimetry based on standards of absorbed dose to water

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures

Assessment methods

Oral examination in which the student is invited to discuss the topics covered during lessons, exposed in recommended texts and in teaching material presented and discussed in class.
The interview will be assessed on the basis of the following parameters:
-knowledge, mastery and depth of content
-critical ability and expository skills
-scientific and technical correct terminology.

Teaching tools

Frontal lectures with Power Point slides, Applet java, Short films

Office hours

See the website of Giuseppe Baldazzi