Absorbed Dose Determination in External Beam Radiotherapy:

An International Code of Practice for Dosimetry based on Standards of Absorbed Dose to Water
IAEA Technical Reports Series (TRS) 398
Worksheet for low-energy kilovoltage X-ray beams

This file contains the electronic version of the expressions, data and interpolation routines needed for the
implementation of the IAEA Code of Practice (CoP) TRS-398.

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Dosimetry and Medical Radiation Physics Section

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
P.O. Box 100
A-1400 Vienna
Austria

E-mail: dosimetry@iaea.org
Fax:+43 1 26007 21662
 Worksheet for the determination of the absorbed dose to water
in a low-energy x-ray beam
User: Date:

1. Radiation treatment unit and reference conditions for Dw,Q determination

X-ray machine
Nominal tube potential: kV
Nominal tube current: mA Beam quality, Q (HVL): mmAl
Reference phantom: Reference depth: phantom surface
Added foil material: Thickness: mm
Reference field size: cm x cm Reference SSD: cm

2. Ionization chamber and electrometer

Ionization chamber model PTW 23342 Serial No.:
Chamber wall material: polyethylene thickness: 2.5 g cm-2

Abs. dose-to-water calibration factor a

N D , w, Q = ✘ Gy/nC Gy/rdg
0
Reference beam quality Q0: mm Al

Reference conditions for calibration

P 0: 101.3 kPa T 0: 20.0 °C Rel. humidity: 50 %
Polarizing potential V: V
Calibration polarity: ✘ +ve -ve ✘ corrected for polarity effect
User polarity: ✘ +ve -ve

Calibration laboratory: Date:

Electrometer model: Serial no.:
Calib. separately from chamber: yes ✘ no Range setting:
If yes Calibration laboratory: Date:

3. Dosimetry reading a
and correction for influence quantities
Uncorrected dosimeter reading at V and user polarity: ✘ nC rdg
Corresponding time: min
Ratio of dosimeter reading and time b: M1 = ✘ nC/min rdg/min
(i) P: 101.3 kPa T: 20.0 °C Rel. humidity: 50 %
( 273 . 2+ T ) P0
k TP = = 1.000
( 273 . 2+T 0 ) P
(ii) Electrometer calibration factor kelec : nC/rdg ✘ dimensionless

Corrected dosimeter reading at the voltage V1:

M Q=M k TP k elec = ✘ nC / min rdg / min

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4. Absorbed dose rate to water at the phantom surface
✘ Beam quality correction factor for user quality Q: k Q ,Q =
0
at Q0 (HVL) = mm Al
Calibration laboratory: Date:
or
Beam quality correction factor interpolated
(k Q , Q )1 = at HVL1 = mm Al Date:
0
(k Q , Q )2 = at HVL2 = mm Al Date:
0

ln HVL−ln HVL1
k Q ,Q =( k Q , Q )1 + [ (k Q ,Q )2 −(k Q ,Q )1 ]
0 0 0 0 [ ln HVL 2 −ln HVL 1
=
]
Dw , Q (surface )=M Q N D , w ,Q0 k Q , Q0 = Gy / min

Notes:

a All readings should be checked for leakage and corrected if necessary

b The time errors should be taken into account. The correction at voltage V 1 can be determined according to
MA is the integrated reading in a time tA
MB is the integrated reading n short exposures (2 £ n £ 5) of total time tB
MA = tA = min
MB = tB = min n=

Timer error,
M B t A−M A t B min (the sign of t must be taken into account)
τ= =
nM A −M B
MA
M 1= = ✘ nC/min rdg/min
t A+τ

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