Tissue–air ratios for whole body irradiation with cobalt 60 gamma rays

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Abstract
Total body irradiation with 60Co .gamma.-rays has been used since about 1966 for the treatment of acute leukemia. The method of irradiation developed requires knowledge of the dose at the mid-line of the body for calculation of the treatment time. Published data for tissue-air ratios (TAR) for elongated fields like the dimensions of a human body in the lying position are not available. It is only known from measurements done by Faw and Glenn (1972) that the TAR values along the central axis of the beam for square fields greater than 50 .times. 50 cm2 show an effect of saturation. The objective of investigations was to find TAR values for the mid-line of a human body using an Alderson phantom.