ABSTRACT

After reading the following chapter and undertaking personal study, you should be able to:

Distinguish between ionising radiation and non-ionising radiation and relate this distinction to radiation safety in clinical practice.

Describe four forms of ionising radiation and compare their penetrating ability and relate this to their usefulness in clinical practice.

Explain what is meant by the term ‘radioactive decay’ and describe alpha decay and beta decay.

Explain the concept of half-life.

Explain how X-rays are produced and relate this to the investigation of illness.

Outline the biological effects of ionising radiation and relate this to radiation safety in clinical practice and to patients receiving radiotherapy.

Describe important aspects of radiation protection for health-care workers.

Briefly describe the following imaging techniques: simple X-ray, cine radiography, computerised tomography (CT) and radionuclide scans.

Describe the use of ionising radiation in the treatment of cancer.