Dosimetry of Internal Emitters: Past, Present and Future

Abstract

Dosimetry of internal emitters in entirely a post-war development. From the first definitive paper on the subject appeared in 1948 to the present day MIRD schema, there has been a continued advance in our knowledge of radionuclide decay data, radiation interaction cross-sections, computational methods for obtaining absorbed fractions, mathematical description of anthropometric models, collection and analysis of biokinetic data of internal emitters. After listing out the developments in radiation dose units, the present review briefly summarises the physical and biological bases of the estimation of the mean organ radiation dose, specifically mentioning the contributions from the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences. The shortcomings of the conventional 'mean organ dose' concept have been brought out, highlighting recent developments in local dosimetry and microdosimetry. The expected potential future developments in dosimetry of internal emitters are also enumerated.