Stimulated Positron Emission Analysis Techniques for the Quantitative Assessment of Fluorine in Bone

Abstract

The use of nuclear photoactivation to quantify the spatial distribution of elements in bone in conjunction with positron emission analysis techniques is considered in this work. A realistic model of bone composition and a simplified model of bremsstrahlung spectral intensity have been used to calculate the activation yields obtainable with medical linear accelerators. The results of activation experiments performed using a linac-produced 18 MV x-ray beam have been compared with the predictions of this model to assess the feasibility of obtaining the relative amounts of the different elements from the analysis of the time dependence of the decay. © 1991 IEEE