摘要 |
<p>Contrast agents developed specifically for x-ray diagnostics provide dose-enhanced radiotherapy and radiosurgery. The presence of heavy elements, for example, gold or iron, from these contrast agents, even small quantities, leads to a major dose increase in target tissue (120) when combined with in vivo calibration of the amount of contrast agent. The technique can also be used in combination with other techniques, such as focused x-rays (20), to achieve further enhancement of therapeutic ratio. The technique is enhanced by employing oil-based contrast agents, which will remain in the target (120) much longer than conventional agents. Through optimization of the equipment it is possible to achieve very large ratios of dose in target (120) to dose in healthy tissue (115).</p> |