British Journal of Radiology (2005) 78, 177
© 2005 British Institute of Radiology
doi:
Standards and codes of practice in medical radiation dosimetry. Proceedings of an International Symposium, Vienna, 25–28 November 2002. Volumes 1–2. pp ii + 483, 497, 2003 (IAEA, Vienna, Austria). 
130. ISBN 92-0-111403-6
J E Burns
To its credit, the International Atomic Energy Agency takes on many tasks in addition to its role in inspecting and controlling the use of atomic energy for peaceful (and not so peaceful) purposes. One of these tasks is its sponsorship, in collaboration with other international organizations, of meetings to discuss developments in radiation metrology for medical applications. The latest symposium took place over 4 days in December 2002, and this book is the proceedings. There were 58 verbal presentations and 27 poster presentations, the two being indistinguishable when printed.
The scope of the symposium was wider than implied by its title. It is impossible to review the 85 papers in detail, but what any prospective purchaser of this book wants to know is some idea of its scope. So here goes. The papers discuss the following range of methods for measuring radiation: unsealed cylindrical and plane-parallel ionization chambers, extrapolation chambers, 4
chambers, liquid ionization chambers, calorimeters, thermoluminescence, radiochromic film, polymer gel, alanine, optical fibre luminescence, diodes and scintillators. A whole session of seven papers is devoted to calorimetry. The following applications of these methods of measurement are discussed: low and medium energy X-ray beams, gamma-ray beams, megavoltage X-ray and electron beams, intensity-modulated radiotherapy, proton and light ion beams, gamma-ray and beta-ray brachytherapy, nuclear medicine for diagnostic, palliative and therapeutic purposes, diagnostic and interventional radiology, and CT.
There are also papers on the results of audits, quality control, phantoms and treatment planning systems. In the middle of this specialized symposium was a session of four papers on the needs of developing countries, discussing cancer epidemiology, the most suitable radiotherapeutic apparatus, health economics, and the availability (or not) of modern medical imaging equipment.
All the papers were written by experts in their respective fields, and are of a high standard. This is not a teaching manual, as it assumes that readers already possess a good basic knowledge of practical and theoretical radiation dosimetry. Unlike present day medical imaging, for which a book may be out of date within a year or two after its publication, radiation dosimetry does not advance at such a hectic rate, so this book should not suffer that fate for at least 10 years.
Complaints? Well, perhaps just one. There is no subject index: if you happen to come across a new or useful idea, make a careful note of the volume and page number, otherwise you may have difficulty in finding it again hiding somewhere in its 980 pages.
