Gamma dosimetric parameters in some skeletal muscle relaxants

Abstract

We have studied the attenuation of gamma radiation of energy ranging from 84 keV to 1330 keV ($^{170}\hbox {Tm}, ^{22}\!\hbox {Na},^{137}\!\hbox {Cs}$, and $^{60}\hbox {Co}$) in some commonly used skeletal muscle relaxants such as tubocurarine chloride, gallamine triethiodide, pancuronium bromide, suxamethonium bromide and mephenesin. The mass attenuation coefficient is measured from the attenuation experiment. In the present work, we have also proposed the direct relation between mass attenuation coefficient $(\mu /\rho )$ and mass energy absorption coefficient $(\mu _{\mathrm{en}}/\rho )$ based on the nonlinear fitting procedure. The gamma dosimetric parameters such as mass energy absorption coefficient $(\mu _{\mathrm{en}}/\rho )$, effective atomic number $(Z_{\mathrm{eff}})$, effective electron density $(N_{\mathrm{el}})$, specific ${\upgamma }$-ray constant, air kerma strength and dose rate are evaluated from the measured mass attentuation coefficient. These measured gamma dosimetric parameters are compared with the theoretical values. The measured values agree with the theoretical values. The studied gamma dosimetric values for the relaxants are useful in medical physics and radiation medicine.