Page 40 - Brachytherapy

P U L S E D O S E R A T E ( P D R ) It uses modern afterloading technology (miniaturized

using short pulsed radiation source, cable driven, software controlled), with source

activities in the range of 1 Ci, which is actually 1/10 of the

Pulsed dose-rate (PDR) is a temporary treatments deliver normal activity used for high dose rate (HDR)

radiation in periodic pulses. Pulsed brachytherapy uses a brachytherapy.

stronger radiation source than that employed in LDR

brachytherapy and provides a series of short 10 to 30 Modern technology allows dose optimization, and source

minutes long exposures every hour amounting to strength in the above-mentioned range creates a new dose

approximately the same total dose in the same overall as rate condition. For small fractions (pulses) with short

that administered in the LDR, typically one per hour, up to interpulse intervals, PDR mimics the radiobiology of high

one per 4 h,
dose rate brachytherapy, whereas for bigger doses per

fraction, dose adjustments are needed to compensate for the

loss of therapeutic ratio.Clinical series showed good figures

for local control and toxicity. Almost every clinical site has

been reported to have been treated with PDR, with some

thousand of patients having been reported.

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