Fetal Dose Evaluation in X-Ray Radiotherapy in Cases of Advanced Gestation

摘要

When pregnant women are submitted to x-ray radiotherapy, the fetus can be seriously affected by the scattered radiation dose. With the purpose of verifying this dose, an anthropomorphic phantom from a commercial mannequin was constructed to be irradiated in the left breast. The simulator was built with materials of density close to water and filled with water. The irradiation was made using x-ray beams of 6 MeV energy, from a linear accelerator Clinac 2100C. Using a cylindrical ionization chamber positioned in the fetal region of the simulator, it was verified that at the end of the breast treatment the dose of scattered radiation is around 136 cGy in all fetal area. These values are harmful to the fetus and thus, the use of radiological protection procedures is recommended.