ABSTRACT
References ............................................................................................................ 241 Appendix A: LDR Brachytherapy Planning ................................................... 243 Appendix B: Ir-192 HDR Treatment ................................................................. 245 Appendix C: Patient Card .................................................................................. 247 Appendix D: Emergency Procedures for the Microselectron HDR Unit .... 248 Appendix E: Sample Check Sheet: Commissioning/Annual QA Tests
for HDR Treatment Unit ........................................................................... 249
Brachytherapy is that mode of radiation therapy using small discrete radiation sources either in or on the patient. Brachy in Greek refers to short distance, and in brachytherapy the radiation sources are only a centimeter or so from the target within the patient, as opposed to teletherapy where the source is at a distance of about a meter. The sources are discrete in the sense that unlike in nuclear medicine, the sources do not metabolize and the integrity of the sources is maintained. They are encapsulated in materials that
do not interact with body tissues or fluids. Sources with these features are referred to as sealed radioactive sources.
