Well-type ionization chamber radiation detector for calibration of radioactive sources

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A well-type ionization chamber radiation detector device comprising:

(a) an outer shell of conductive material;

(b) walls forming an inner well disposed within and electrically connected to the outer shell, wherein an ionization chamber sensitive volume is defined between the inner well and the outer shell;

(c) an ionization electrode within the ionization chamber volume and substantially surrounding the well;

(d) insulator means for mounting the ionization electrode within the outer shell and electrically insulating the ionization electrode from the outer shell and the inner well;

(e) electrical conductors connected to the shell and well to allow a ground potential to be provided thereto and electrical conductors connected to the ionization electrode to allow a high voltage to be provided thereto; and

(f) means for positioning a radiation source sample at a selected central position within the well including a thin wall guide tube with an interior bore, a top cap to which the thin wall guide tube is mounted at its top end, the cap having an opening therein which communicates with the bore of the guide tube, and spacing means mounted to the guide tube to engage the wall of the well to hold the guide tube in proper position in the well.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the well is suspended from a top portion of the shell and the well has a bottom which is spaced upwardly from a bottom portion of the ionization electrode.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the shell, the ionization electrode, and the well have cylindrical side walls which are concentrically mounted with respect to one another.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the shell has a base portion, and wherein the insulator means includes a base insulator mounted on the base portion of the shell within the interior of the shell, a bottom portion of the ionization electrode mounted on the base insulator with a side wall of the ionization electrode extending vertically upwardly from the bottom portion of the ionization electrode.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the spacing means includes a disc mounted to the bottom of the tube with an outer periphery shaped to correspond to the inner periphery of the wall of the well, wherein the cap of the positioning means is adapted to close the top of the well, and wherein a catheter to guide a radiation source can be inserted into the opening in the cap into the interior bore of the tube to precisely locate the radiation source in the well within the guide tube.

6. The device of claim 1 including an opening in the outer shell to provide communication between the ionization chamber sensitive volume and the ambient atmosphere.

7. A well-type ionization chamber radiation detector device comprising:

(a) an outer shell of conductive material having a base portion;

(b) walls forming an inner well disposed within and electrically connected to the outer shell, wherein an ionization chamber sensitive volume is defined between the inner well and the outer shell;

(c) an ionization electrode within the ionization chamber volume and substantially surrounding the well;

(d) insulator means for mounting the ionization electrode within the outer shell and electrically insulating the ionization electrode from the outer shell and the inner well including a base insulator mounted on the base portion of the shell within the interior of the shell, a bottom portion of the ionization electrode mounted on the base insulator with a side wall of the ionization electrode extending vertically upwardly from the bottom portion of the ionization electrode;

(e) electrical conductors connected to the shell and well to allow a ground potential to be provided thereto and electrical conductors connected to the ionization electrode to allow a high voltage to be provided thereto; and

(f) means for positioning a radiation source sample at a selected central position within the well;

wherein the base insulator includes two insulator discs and a conductive guard electrode mounted between the two insulator discs of the base insulator, with one insulator disc mounted on the base portion of the shell and the other insulator disc in contact with the ionization electrode, and further including an electrical conductor connected to the guard electrode to allow a high voltage to be provide thereto.

8. The device of claim 7 including means for biasing the guard electrode to the same potential as the ionization electrode to eliminate leakage current between the two electrodes.

9. The device of claim 7 wherein the electrical conductors connected to the ionization electrode, the guard electrode and the shell are connected to a triaxial cable having three conductors separated by insulation, the triaxial cable extending into the base portion of the shell to make connection of one of its conductors to the base portion of the shell, another of its conductors to the guard electrode and with the third conductor to the ionization electrode.

10. The device of claim 7 wherein the insulating discs are made of polycarbonate plastic.

11. A well-type ionization chamber radiation detector device comprising:

(a) an outer shell of conductive material having a base, a cylindrical side wall extending from the base, and a top panel joined to the top of the cylindrical side wall;

(b) walls forming an inner well mounted within the outer shell, the inner well having a cylindrical side wall concentric with the cylindrical side wall of the outer shell and a bottom wall which closes the bottom of the well, the walls of the inner well formed of electrically conductive material and being electrically connected to the outer shell, the inner well and outer shell defining between them an ionization chamber sensitive volume;

(c) an ionization electrode including a bottom portion and a cylindrical side wall extending upwardly therefrom, the cylindrical side wall positioned in the space between the side wall of the well and the side wall of the shell and concentric therewith, the ionization electrode formed of electrically conductive material;

(d) insulator means for mounting the ionization electrode within the shell and electrically insulating the ionization electrode from the inner well and the outer shell;

(e) an electrical conductor electrically connected to the shell to allow a ground potential to be provided to the shell and well, and an electrical connector connected to the ionization electrode to allow a high voltage to be provided to the electrode; and

(f) means for positioning a sample at the center of the well in a selected position within the well.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the side wall of the well is connected to the top panel of the shell and is suspended therefrom, such that the bottom wall of the well is suspended above the bottom portion of the ionization electrode.

13. The device of claim 11 wherein the sample positioning means includes a thin walled guide tube with an interior bore, a top cover to which the thin walled guide tube is mounted at one end, the cover having an opening therein which opens into the interior bore of the guide tube, and spacing means mounted to the guide tube for engaging the interior of the side wall of the well to hold the guide tube in proper position within the well.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein the spacing means includes a disc mounted to the bottom of the guide tube which has a circular outer periphery shaped and sized to fit closely within the cylindrical inner periphery of the side wall of the well, wherein the opening in the cap allows a catheter for guiding a radioactive source sample therein to be inserted through the opening in the cap into the interior of the guide tube and to be positioned so that the source will be in the center of the well in a desired position.

15. The device of claim 11 wherein the walls forming the well and the ionization electrode are formed of aluminum.

16. The device of claim 11 wherein the spacing between the ionization electrode and the wall of the well is equal to that between the ionization electrode and the outer shell, and wherein the spacing is such that a potential of 300 V is sufficient to reduce the level of ionic recombination to less than 0.05%, while producing an ionization current of 70 nanoamperes when an IR-192 source of 10 Ci is placed in the chamber.

17. The device of claim 11 including an opening in the outer shell to provide communication between the ionization chamber volume and the ambient atmosphere.

18. The device of claim 11 wherein the shell has a base portion, and wherein the insulator means includes a base insulator mounted on the base portion of the shell within the shell, the bottom portion of the ionization electrode mounted on the base insulator with the side wall of the ionization electrode extending vertically upwardly therefrom between the side wall of the well and the side wall of the shell.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein the base insulator includes two insulator discs and a conductive guard electrode mounted between the two insulator discs, one insulator disc mounted to the base of the shell and the other insulator disc supporting the bottom of the ionization electrode, and an electrical conductor electrically connected to the guard electrode to allow a high voltage to be applied thereto.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein the electrical conductors connected to the shell, to the ionization electrode and to the guard electrode are connected to a triaxial cable having three conductors separated by insulation and wherein the outermost conductor is connected to the base portion of the shell to provide a ground potential thereto, the intermediate conductor is connected to the guard electrode to provide a high voltage thereto and the innermost conductor is connected to the ionization electrode to provide a high voltage thereto.

21. A well-type ionization chamber radiation detector device comprising:

(a) an outer shell of conductive material enclosing an interior volume;

(b) walls forming an inner well mounted within the outer shell;

(c) an ionization electrode mounted within the outer shell between the inner well and the outer shell and electrically insulated therefrom;

(d) means for providing electrical connection to the outer shell and a separate electrical connection to the ionization electrode;

(e) a sample positioner comprising a guide tube having an interior bore, a top cover to which the guide tube is connected at one end, the top cover having an opening therein which extends through the cover into communication with the interior of the guide tube, and a spacing disc mounted to the guide tube and having an outer periphery conforming to the inner periphery of the well such that the sample positioner can be inserted into the well and will engage the wall of the well to hold the guide tube in a predetermined position within the well, whereby a radiation source sample in a catheter can be inserted into the opening in the top cover and thence into the guide tube to be extended down into the guide tube to a selected position therein with respect to the walls of the well, the ionization electrode and the shell.

22. The device of claim 21 wherein the sample positioner further includes a post connected to the top cover at one of its ends and to the spacing disc at the other of its ends at a position spaced from the guide tube.

23. The device of claim 21 wherein the well has a cylindrical side wall, the ionization electrode has a cylindrical wall concentric with and spaced outwardly from the side wall of the well, and the shell has a cylindrical side wall spaced outwardly from and concentric with the ionization electrode, and wherein the disc of the sample positioner has a circular outer periphery sized to fit closely within the cylindrical interior of the well and to position the guide tube at the center of the well.

24. The device of claim 23 wherein the guide tube, and the cylindrical side walls of the well, the ionization electrode and the shell are formed of aluminum.

25. A well-type ionization chamber radiation detector device comprising:

(a) an outer shell of conductive material including a base portion;

(b) walls forming an inner well disposed within and electrically connected to the outer shell, wherein an ionization chamber sensitive volume is defined between the inner well and the outer shell;

(c) an ionization electrode within the ionization chamber volume and having a sidewall substantially surrounding the well;

(d) a base insulator mounted on the base portion of the shell within the interior of the shell, a bottom portion of the ionization electrode mounted on the base insulator with the side wall of the ionization electrode extending vertically upwardly from the bottom portion of the ionization electrode, wherein the base insulator includes two insulator discs and a conductive guard electrode mounted between the two insulator discs of the base insulator, with one insulator disc mounted on the base of the shell and the other insulator disc in contact with the ionization electrode; and

(e) means for providing a ground potential to the shell and well and means for providing a high voltage to the ionization electrode and the guard electrode.

26. The device of claim 25 wherein the well is suspended from a top portion of the shell and the well has a bottom which is spaced upwardly from a bottom portion of the ionization electrode.

27. The device of claim 25 wherein the shell, the ionization electrode, and the well have cylindrical side walls which are concentrically mounted with respect to one another.

28. The device of claim 25 wherein the means for providing ground potential and high voltage includes electrical conductors connected to the ionization electrode, the guard electrode and the shell which are connected to a triaxial cable having three conductors separated by insulation, the triaxial cable extending into the base portion of the shell to make connection of one of its conductors to the base portion of the shell, another of its conductors to the guard electrode and the third of its conductors to the ionization electrode.

29. The device of claim 25 wherein the insulator discs are made of polycarbonate plastic.

30. The device of claim 25 wherein the insulator disc in contact with the ionization electrode has a groove extending around its peripheral edge and a conductive coating on the surface of the insulator disc except in the groove, thereby to avoid electrical instability due to accumulation of surface charge on the disc and to define the limit of the lower boundary of the sensitive volume of the ion chamber.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention pertains generally to the field of measurement of radioactive sources and particularly to ionization chambers which are used for measuring radioactive intensity and for calibrating sources of radioactivity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Ionization chambers ("ion chambers") were developed for measuring the strength of ionizing radiations such as x-rays and the radiation emitted by radioactive sources. Ion chambers are particularly useful for calibrating radiation sources to be used in radiotherapy--the treatment of cancer with radiation. One type of radiotherapy is known as "brachytherapy," in which one or more radioactive sources are inserted into the human body, either through body orifices or surgical procedures, to position them in or near a cancer tumor which may be thereby reduced or eliminated. Conventional brachytherapy involves some hazard to medical personnel due to radiation exposure incidental to the installation of the sources in the patient, and patient care during the several days' treatment duration.

The new brachytherapy technique of high-dose-rate remote afterloading eliminates that exposure by allowing personnel to install only non-radioactive plastic catheters. After medical personnel have moved out of the treatment room, a small but intensely radioactive gamma-ray source fastened to the end of a stiff wire is moved under computer control out of its lead shield and through the catheter (or sequentially through several catheters) to the desired treatment locations. The computer selects the exact source locations and dwell times within each catheter, according to the treatment program specified by the radiotherapist. The treatment duration is measured in minutes instead of days, because of the high source strength. The fact that only a single source is used, and that the delivery rate of dose (i.e., energy spent per unit mass of tissue) is high, makes imperative the accurate and reliable calibration of the source strength by means of a suitable chamber.

High dose rate remote afterloading brachytherapy devices, such as the Microselectron manufactured by the Nucletron Corporation, are being increasingly utilized in the United States. The most common radionuclide used in these devices is iridium 192 (.sup.192 Ir) in the form of a small pellet (e.g., 0.5 mm diameter 4 mm active length with 0.3 mm stainless steel wall) connected to a wire that pushes and pulls the pellet through a 2 mm outside diameter plastic catheter to guide the pellet to the desired locations. The initial activity of these sources is in the neighborhood of 10 curies (Ci), or 3.7.times.10.sup.11 becquerels (Bq). The half-life of .sup.192 Ir is approximately 74 days, requiring relatively frequent (usually quarterly) source replacement to maintain short treatment times. These sources must be calibrated when they are placed into use. The supplier of the sources provides a calibration certificate which states an overall uncertainty in activity of plus or minus 10%; thus, an independent recalibration is preferably carried out after installation in an afterloading unit at a hospital or outpatient cancer treatment facility.

A rigorous procedure for carrying out such a calibration involves first sending a small (less than a few cubic centimeters) thimble-shaped ion chamber to the National Institute of Standards and Technology ("NIST," formerly known as the National Bureau of Standards) for calibration. Since NIST does not offer ion chamber calibrations for gamma rays having the spectrum of iridium-192, an interpolation between two adjacent calibration energies that are offered is utilized. This chamber is then positioned at one or more known distances 10-40 cm from the iridium source in the afterloading catheter. The observed ion currents are small (of the order of 10.sup.-11 amperes) hence difficult to measure accurately due to electrical insulator leakage and other perturbations. Other significant sources of error include scattered radiation from the room, inaccurate distance measurement, effects of size and shape of the ion chamber, irradiation of the chamber during transit time of the source to and from its assigned location, and air temperature and pressure. Such a calibration requires extreme care to obtain accuracy closer than 1-2%. It is a task for a well-trained expert radiation physicist, not a radiotherapy technician. Thus it should not be attempted by the smaller radiotherapy facilities not served by a physicist. Moreover it is an inefficient use of professional personnel to require that such a complicated, time-consuming and error-prone procedure be repeated on a routine basis four times a year, even where competent personnel are available.

Consequently there is a need for a compact, rugged and accurate device for conveniently and reproducibly calibrating the strength of a radioactive high-dose-rate source such as Ir-192 while positioned in its guiding catheter, after the source has been installed in a brachytherapy afterloading unit at a radiotherapy facility.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The ionization chamber radiation detector of the present invention is particularly suited to provide rapid, efficient, simple and accurate measurements of concentrated radiation sources such as those used in high dose rate brachytherapy afterloading systems. The device is capable of being utilized at clinical locations, with conventional electrometer and voltage supply equipment which is readily available and with minimal operator training. The device is particularly adapted to calibrate a radiation source of the type used in brachytherapy in which the source is contained in a catheter, with the device having an opening into an internal guide tube into which the catheter can be inserted by the operator and accurately positioned with little decision making required on the part of the operator. Thus, operator error is minimized and the repeatability of readings is enhanced from conventional calibration procedures.

The ionization chamber radiation detector of the present invention has an electrically conductive outer shell which surrounds a volume of air constituting the sensitive volume of the ionization chamber. This outer shell is grounded and contains a vent hole to maintain the internal air at ambient atmospheric pressure. An inner well formed of conductive metal is suspended within the outer shell and is electrically connected to it so that the well is also at ground potential. The sensitive volume of the ionization chamber is defined between the inner well and the outer shell. Within that volume is located an electrode that serves to collect the ions whose charge is conducted to the electrometer. That electrode will be referred to as the ionization electrode, which laterally surrounds the well and which is electrically insulated from both the well and the shell. A high voltage is applied to this electrode so that ionizing radiation, such as gamma rays, passing through the ionization chamber will ionize the air molecules within the ionization chamber sensitive volume, resulting in a current flowing between the grounded shell and well and the ionization electrode. The device preferably further includes a positioner for precisely positioning the radioisotope containing catheter in the center of the well to obtain uniform radiation to the ionization chamber and to insure reproducibility of readings.

The lateral or side walls of the shell, the inner well, and the electrode all are preferable cylindrical and concentric with one another. By avoiding sharp corners within the ionization chamber, the electric field within the ionization chamber is maintained substantially uniform so that the recombination of oppositely-charged ions, which causes a loss of ionization current, is minimized. The source is positioned close to the sensitive volume, typically within one to two centimeters, so that the ionizing radiation from the source far exceeds background ionizing radiation, thereby minimizing measurement errors due to radiation scattered from surrounding objects or structures.

Preferably, the catheter is precisely positioned in the well by the utilization of a positioner composed of a thin-walled guide tube which extends downwardly from a cap at the top to a positioning disc at the bottom end. The disc has an outer periphery which closely matches the inner periphery of the well. The positioner is inserted into the well with the positioning disc in sliding engagement with the walls of the well until the cap is fitted down onto the top of the outer shell. The cap has an opening in its top which leads into the interior of the thin-walled guide tube. The catheter guide tube thus is positioned to extend down the center of the cylindrical walled well so that there will be substantially no deviation of the lateral position of the catheter when it is inserted in the tube. Preferably, the guide tube includes an end stop at its bottom, or at some other intermediate position, such that the catheter containing the radiation source can be simply inserted into the tube and pushed down by the operator until the end of the catheter contacts the end stop. The radioactive source can then be driven through the catheter to the location, approximately halfway down the guide tube, that produces the maximum ionization current in the ion chamber.

The ionization current obtained from the ionization chamber device of the present invention is at a high enough level to allow accurate reading with conventional electrometer equipment and with the level of radiation being directly related to the current level. Thus, it is not necessary to integrate or accumulate the charge resulting from ionization current, as is the case in many conventional ionization chamber devices, thereby avoiding the inherent errors caused by such accumulation measurement techniques, including the error due to unwanted ionization charge produced while the source is approaching, but has not yet reached, its desired location. Instantaneous current measurement also results in substantial reduction in the time required to complete source calibrations.

The ionization electrode in this ion chamber is designed to eliminate the recombination of oppositely-charged ions in the sensitive volume when the conventionally-available 300 volt potential is applied. With a 10 Ci .sup.192 Ir source positioned in the ion chamber, ion-recombination losses are observed not to exceed 0.05%. Prior art well-type ion chambers show recombination losses of the order of 1% or larger under these conditions, with the size of the error depending on the source strength at the time of its measurement.

The ionization electrode is supported on a unique "pancake" arrangement of insulators and electrodes that are located at the bottom of the chamber. The triaxial electrometer cable enters laterally, then bends upward along the chamber's midline axis. The central conductor of the cable connects the ionization electrode to the high-impedance electrometer input, which is biased typically 300 V positive or negative from ground. The intermediate conductor of the cable connects the guard plate to the low-impedance electrometer input, which is biased at the same potential as the central conductor. The outer conductor of the cable connects the remainder of the metal parts of the ion chamber to the grounded case of the electrometer; thus the outside surface of the ion chamber is at ground potential and poses no electrical hazard.

The two insulating discs are made of polycarbonate high-impact plastic for ruggedness. The upper insulating disc, which separates the bottom plate of the collecting electrode from the guard plate, is coated with an electrical conductor such as evaporated aluminum or graphite in isopropyl alcohol, except in the groove around its edge, and in the countersunk holes for the machine screws that fasten it to the guard plate. This conducting coating prevents accumulation of charge on the surface of that insulator, which would cause unstable radiation response. The groove around the disc edge sharply delimits and defines the air volume from which i