A study about the measurement method of the homogeneity of radioactivity along an iridium-192 wire used in brachytherapy

The Nuclear and Energy Research Institute has produced, since 1998, iridium-192 wires used in low dose rate brachytherapy. In the paper the authors studied the influence of wire profile on the homogeneity distribution of radioactivity of iridium-192 along the wire. The authors propose the improvements in the quality control procedure that will provide more accurate measurement data and suggest changes in control devices

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Abstract. The number of cancer patients in Brazil is increasing and part of the patients are submitted to brachytherapy treatment using iridium-192 wire and iodine-125 radioactive seeds. The Nuclear Energy Research Institute established a programme to produce iridium-192 wire and iodine-125 radioactive seeds. With the purpose of settling a laboratory for iridium-192 sources production, a wire activation method was developed and a hot cell for the wire manipulation, quality assurance and packaging was built. The iodine-125 seeds consist of a welded titanium capsule containing iodine-125 adsorbed onto a silver rod. Concerning the setup of the local production, the following activities were carried out: superficial treatment of the silver rod, development of a process to absorb the iodine in the silver rod, welding methodology to seal the seeds, leakage and contamination test and source activity measurement