title: Use of a blood glucose meter for radiochromic film analysis in blood irradiation.
abstract: The use of a diabetic blood glucose meter for radiochromic film dosimetry in blood irradiation using x-ray beams on a medical linear accelerator has been investigated. The glucose meter provides optical density analysis in the visible and infrared region using a reflectance measurement technique. By comparing the 'blood sugar' level output with standard calibration gafchromic films a calibration curve is produced for quantitative analysis. Results show that a reproducible dose to meter output curve can be fitted using a second order polynomial function and that blood irradiation doses in vitro were measured to within 7.9% mean error (as compared to ionization chamber results) using the blood glucose meter. This level of accuracy falls below that measured with a standard densitometer (4.3%); however, results show that the blood glucose meter, which would be available in any haematology department, produces an adequate measure of gafchromic film optical density for blood irradiation dosimetry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong.
authors.forename: Tsang
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Martin J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Butson
authors.forename: Peter K N
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D001769:Blood / Q000528:radiation effects*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D002138:Calibration; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D005373:Film Dosimetry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007477:Ions; D014962:X-Ray Film; D014965:X-Rays
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007477:Ions