Abstract
This work describes a nuclear facility for in vivo prompt gamma activation analysis (IVPGAA) using a moderated neutron beam from a 0.1 W Tsing-Hua Mobile Educational Reactor (THMER). The IVPGAA measurement is a new technique for toxic cadmium determination in organs, which can efficiently be used in clinical diagnosis. The low-power nuclear reactor provides a total neutron flux of 3.3·10 4 n·cm -2 ·s -1 on the surface of the central vertical neutron beam tube to which a liquid phantom is positioned. The capability of such partial-body irradiation facility is demonstrated. The detection limit of cadmium in the left kidney for a skin dose equivalent of 1.66 mSv (166 mrem) was 1.34 mg in a 500-s irradiation/counting period, and the sensitivity in the left kidney was 103 counts mg -1 ·mSv -1 . The performance of IVPGAA system using the THMER nuclear facility therefore has the advantages of mobility and feasibility with high sensitivity under low neutron and gamma doses. © 1985 Akadémiai Kiadó.