Introduction
In order to discharge the patients receiving treatment with large radiation doses of ¹³¹I for thyroid cancer, it is necessary to measure and evaluate the external dose rates of these patients. The aim of the study was to assess a new method of external dose rate measurement, and to analyze the obtained results as a function of time.
Materials and Methods
In this study, a telescopic radiation survey meter was utilized to measure the external dose rates of a sample population of 192 patients receiving treatment with high-dose ¹³¹I at one, 24, and 48 hours after dose administration.
Results
The proposed technique could reduce the occupational radiation exposure of the physicist by a factor of 1/16. Moreover, the external dose rates of both genders rapidly decreased with time according to bi-exponential equations, which could be attributed to the additional factors associated with iodine excretion, as well as the physiology of the body in terms of ¹³¹I uptake.
Conclusion
According to the results of this study, telescopic radiation survey meter could be used to measure the external dose rates of patients receiving treatment with ¹³¹I. Furthermore, the average difference in the radiation exposure between female and male patients was calculated to be less than 17%.