| Abstrakt: |
Radioactive gold (198Au) grains are used extensively as interstitial sources of radiation in the treatment of malignant disease (Sinclair, 1952). Usually the grains are implanted by means of a special gun. The original instrument was designed at the Royal Marsden Hospital (Hodt, Sinclair and Smithers 1952) and since then similar models have been manufactured by W. H. Bailey & Son Ltd. (M.S.A.)The grains are contained in aluminium magazines which fit into the barrel of the implantation gun. The original method of loading the gun consisted of the following stages:(a) The aluminium caps of the magazine were removed with a screwdriver.(b) In order to prevent the radioactive gold grains from falling out of the magazine, its ends were dabbed with sterile petroleum jelly.(c) The magazine was inserted into the barrel of the gun, which in turn was screwed onto the shaft.(d) The gun could now be primed ready for use.Exposure to radiation during this procedure was chiefly to the hands, fingers and eyes, and was due to operations (a), (b) and (c). Some simple modifications have been made to the magazine and to the gun which eliminate the need for these operations, with a consequent reduction in radiation exposure.A magazine has been designed so as to eliminate the necessity of removing the screw caps. It is somewhat smaller than the old type, taking only 14 gr instead of 15. Figure 1 shows the specifications and the relative sizes of the magazines. |
