PHYSICS

PRESENTATION

Dr. Ayesha Shoukat Hussain

Post Graduate Resident Radiology
OUTLINE
• Ionizing radiation interactions with tissue
• Radiation doses and units
• Effects of radiation
-Deterministic effects
-Stochastic effects
-Population Dose
 IONIZING RADIATION (X RAY AND
GAMMA) RAY INTERACTION WITH
TISSUE
• Absorption of ionizing radiation produces image. No absorption = no
image.

• Absorption of ionizing radiation causes tissue damage.

CHEMICAL CHANGES MOLECULAR DAMAGE

Absorption IMMEDIATELY SECONDS TO MINUTES

BIOLOGICAL DAMAGE
THE EVIDENT DAMAGE
TAKES HOURS TO DECADES TO BECOME EVIDENT
 EVIDENCE OF RADIATION INDUCED
DAMAGE
• SKIN AND HAND DAMAGES IN EARLY RADIOLOGIST

• EXCESSIVE LEUKEMIAS IN PATIENTS UNDERWENT RADIOTHERAPY FOR

TREATMENT OF ANKYLOSING SPONDOLYTIS

• EVIDENCE OF CANCER IN SURVIVORS OF JAPAN NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS

IN WORLD WAR
 PRINCIPLE RADIATION SOURCE IN
MEDICAL EXPOSURE
• X RAYS IN RADIOGRAPHY AND COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY

• GAMMA RAYS IN NUCLEAR MEDICINE

 WHY ARE THESE RADIATIONS
HAZARDOUS
• These radiations do not have a maximum depth of penetration associated
with them.

• As they pass through tissue they face progressive attenuation.

• Therefore at any given depth, the intensity of energy of a x ray / gamma beam
keeps getting less but never becomes zero.

• Therefore no shielding can zero down intensity of these beams.

 HOW TISSUE DAMAGE OCCURS
• During exposure, ionization process causes molecular chemical
changes and hence tissue damage.
• CRITICAL MOLECULES FOR TISSUE DAMAGE;
1- Proteins – enzymes
2- Nucleic Acid – DNA
• Two ways of damage
1- Direct – Rupturing covalent bond.
2- Indirect – By producing free radicles by ionization of water
 INDIRECT DAMAGE
• Living tissue – 70 to 90 % water

• When irradiated water molecule produces electron and positively

charged water ion
• H20+ ion decomposes to produce OH which is a strong oxidizing agent
which in turn produces the chemical changes for tissue damage.
Summary
 TYPES OF RADIATION DOSES
• Two important types

Equivalent Dose Effective Dose

Absorbed dose x tissue weighing factor Takes into account variable radio
sensitivities of different organs
 DETERMINISTIC EFFECT
• Effects related to tissue death

• These effects do not occur below a threshold dose.

• Examples ulceration, skin affects, Cataract.

STOCHASTIC EFFECTS
• Chances events

• These do not require a threshold dose.

• Probability of their occurrence keeps increasing with increasing exposure.

• Severity is however independent of dose received.

• Example : Gene mutations, different types of cancers.

POPULATION DOSE
• There are four categories:
• Cosmic radiation: is generated in space for example from the sun.
• Mixture of particulate radiation and broad spectrum X and Gamma
rays
• Most of it is attenuated in atmosphere.
• The levels rise with altitude due to the reduced effect of attenuation
in the atmosphere.
• Terrestial Gamma rays:
• Are emitted from the radioactive materials from the earths crust.
• Amount depends on where we live and materials used in construction
• Internal sources:
• Pottasium-40 contributes about 60% of our internal radiation
exposure.
• Other radionuclides included in the food we eat and the amount
depends upon on our diet and where our food comes from
• Radon: is produced in decay chain of uranium.
• Its decay is associated with emission of alpha particles.
• It is inert gas.
• Represents the largest source of radiation we are expose to and most
variable.
Summary
• Ionizing radiation like x rays and gamma rays result in chemical and
molecular changes in turn resulting in biological damage which may
include deterministic and stochastic effect.

• At doses below threshold level, a deterministic effect will not occur,

while the risk of stochastic event can be minimized.