A total body nitrogen facility for paediatric use

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Abstract
The design, calibration and evaluation of a facility for in vivo prompt gamma neutron capture analysis of total body nitrogen in children is described. The patient is scanned, in both supine and prone positions, across a vertically collimated beam from a 1 GBq 252Cf fission source. Two Nal(Tl) detectors are placed on either side of the patient, perpendicular to both the neutron beam and the scanning direction. The effective dose equivalent delivered to a child during an 840 s scan is approximately 0.14 mSv (QF=10). Correction factors can be applied to the measured nitrogen-to-hydrogen gamma ray counts ratio. By using the mass of hydrogen as an internal standard, the nitrogen mass can then be determined.