Feasibility of dosimetric measurements using Al2O3:C OSL dosimeter during fluoroscopy-guided procedures.

This study investigated the feasibility of dosimetric measurements using Al2O3:C optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimeters during fluoroscopy-guided procedures. The linearity and energy dependence of Al2O3:C OSL dosimeters were evaluated, and the air kerma rate at the operator's position was measured. The response of Al2O3:C OSL dosimeters to short, repetitive irradiations was compared to that of long uninterrupted irradiation. The change in response of the Al2O3:C OSL dosimeter under automatic exposure rate control (AERC) was evaluated with the use of various thicknesses of polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) plates (15-30 cm). The Al2O3:C OSL dosimeters could detect 5 µGy and showed good linearity in doses of ≥ 10 µGy (R²: 0.997-0.999, p < 0.001). The relative response of the Al2O3:C OSL dosimeter normalized to that of 36.8 keV was 0.828-1.101 at the energies investigated (30.6-46.0 keV). The air kerma rate at the operator's position was estimated to be 2.61-7.17 µGy/min depending on the heights representing different body parts. Repetitive short irradiations had no significant impact on the relative response of the Al2O3:C OSL dosimeters (p > 0.05). Despite a high energy dependence on the low energy beam used in fluoroscopy, the change in relative response of the Al2O3:C OSL dosimeter under AERC was within 5.7% depending on the thickness of the PMMA plates. Dosimetric measurement using Al2O3:C OSL dosimeters for patients and operators is feasible. However, one should be cautious about high standard deviations when measuring small doses of ≤ 20 µGy using Al2O3:C OSL dosimeters. It is essential to perform intensive bleaching before measuring very small doses to minimize pre-irradiation counts.