A 4 x 500 mm2 cloverleaf detector system for in vivo bone lead measurement.
A 4 x 500 mm2 "cloverleaf" low energy germanium detector array has been assembled for the purpose of in vivo bone lead measurement through x-ray fluorescence. Using 109Cd as an exciting source, results are reported from a leg phantom simulating measurement of lead in a human tibia. For high activity (4.0-4.4 GBq) and low activity (0.18-0.19 GBq) sources, measurement results are reported for both the cloverleaf system and a conventional single detector system of equivalent surface area (2000 mm2). The mean uncertainty and reproducibility of measurement were both significantly improved for the cloverleaf system with a high activity 109Cd source. When using a source activity of 4.4 GBq, measurement of the phantom resulted in an average bone lead uncertainty of 0.79 microg/g and a reproducibility of 0.84 microg/g. These results represent the highest precision yet reported from a bone lead x-ray fluorescence system.
Fleming
David E B
DE
Department of Physics, Mount Allison University, 67 York Street, Sackville, New Brunswick E4L 1E6, Canada. dfleming@mta.ca
Mills
Caitlin E
CE
D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000378:metabolism*; D002106:Cadmium Radioisotopes / Q000737:chemistry; D017357:Cyclotrons; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005857:Germanium / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000032:analysis*; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000175:diagnosis; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*
D002106:Cadmium Radioisotopes; D005857:Germanium; D007854:Lead