Interventionalists' perceptions on a culture of radiation protection.

Background: Occupational exposure to ionising radiation poses potential health risks to radiation workers unless adequate protection is in place. The catheterisation laboratory is a highly contextualised workplace with a distinctive organisational and workplace culture.

Objective: This study was conducted to understand the culture of radiation protection (CRP).

Perceptions of radiation safety training among interventionalists in South Africa.

Exposure to ionising radiation may have deterministic and stochastic health effects, which include skin changes, chromosomal aberrations, cataracts and carcinomas. Formalised training in radiation safety and protection improves knowledge on the subject and facilitates greater compliance in safety practices. This qualitative study included 54 interventionalists (adult and paediatric cardiologists, and interventional radiologists).

Development and verification of a time delivery model for prostate intensity modulated radiotherapy using a Siemens Artiste™ 160 Multi-leaf Collimator Linac.

Time delivery models thus far proposed for prediction of radiotherapy delivery times are not applicable to all makes of Linac. Our purpose was to develop a time delivery model, which would also be applicable for a Siemens ARTISTE™ 160 Multi-leaf Collimator (MLC) linear accelerator (Linac) and validate the model using prostate Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) treatment plans. To our knowledge, a time delivery model has not yet been proposed for a Siemens ARTISTE™ 160 MLC Linac.

Interactive breast mass segmentation using a convex active contour model with optimal threshold values.

Introduction: A convex active contour model requires a predefined threshold value to determine the global solution for the best contour to use when doing mass segmentation. Fixed thresholds or manual tuning of threshold values for optimum mass boundary delineation are impracticable. A proposed method is presented to determine an optimized mass-specific threshold value for the convex active contour derived from the probability matrix of the mass with the particle swarm optimization method.

Biodistribution (as determined by the radiolabelled equivalent) of a gold(III) bis(pyrrolide-imine) Schiff base complex: a potential chemotherapeutic.

The biodistribution of an N2 N2 ' tetradentate gold(III) chelate, which is known to be cytotoxic towards a range of human cancer cell lines, was determined by a radiolabelled equivalent of the compound. The (198) Au-labelled gold(III) chelate of a bis(pyrrolide-imine) Schiff base ligand with a three-carbon di(azomethine) linkage was successfully synthesised with a high radiochemical yield of 73% and radiochemical purity of >95%. The high energy γ-ray emitted by the (198) Au nucleus was used to follow the biodistribution of the compound in vivo in six male Sprague Dawley rats on a gamma camera.

Equivalence of Gyn GEC-ESTRO guidelines for image guided cervical brachytherapy with EUD-based dose prescription.

Background: To establish a generalized equivalent uniform dose (gEUD) -based prescription method for Image Guided Brachytherapy (IGBT) that reproduces the Gyn GEC-ESTRO WG (GGE) prescription for cervix carcinoma patients on CT images with limited soft tissue resolution.

Methods: The equivalence of two IGBT planning approaches was investigated in 20 patients who received external beam radiotherapy (EBT) and 5 concomitant high dose rate IGBT treatments. The GGE planning strategy based on dose to the most exposed 2 cm3 (D2cc) was used to derive criteria for the gEUD-based planning of the bladder and rectum.

99mTc-MIBI imaging of AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma in the lungs.

Objective: Pulmonary Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) occurs in more than 10% of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and has a high mortality rate. Prompt detection, diagnosis, and treatment reduce patient morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of 99mTc-hexakis-2-methoxy isobutyl isonitrile (99mTc-MIBI) imaging in detecting pulmonary AIDS-related KS.

99mTc-MIBI imaging of cutaneous AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma.

Background: Kapoksi's sarcoma (KS) is a common neoplasm complicating acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Skin, mucus membranes, lymph nodes, gastrointestinal tract and lungs may be involved. Kaposi's sarcoma has been demonstrated by scintigraphy, and a (99m)Tc-hexakis-2-methoxy isobutyl isonitrile (MIBI) scan can demonstrate lymphoma and tumors of the brain, nasopharynx, thyroid, parathyroid, lung, breast and kidney.

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of spinal infection and malignancy.

Background And Purpose: Pyogenic and tuberculous spondylitis can mimic malignancy. The purpose of this study was to deter mine the efficacy of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in differentiating spinal infection and malignancy.

Methods: Fifty-one consecutive patients with suspected spinal infection or malignancy were enrolled in the study.