Overview of dosimetry and self-shielding models in ultraviolet phototherapy

Abstract

Ultraviolet phototherapy is widely used in the treatment of skin disease and the benefits of such therapy are widely known. There are risks associated with such treatments, chiefly possible DNA damage leading to skin cancers, so it is imperative to reduce potential detrimental effects whilst keeping the treatment dose biologically effective. UV Dosimetry methods such as the ScUVido protocol are useful for providing a local calibration but there remains much ambiguity regarding dosimetry practices and the effects of patient self-shielding. In this work, we examine building a model of patient dose and in particular methods for predicting the self shielding factor of patients in a treatment cabin. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.