Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Dartmouth Physically-based Biodosimetry Center for Medical Countermeasures against Radiation, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA.
Int J Radiat Biol. 2011 Aug;87(8):766-75. doi: 10.3109/09553002.2011.583316. Epub 2011 Jun 23.
The ability to estimate individual exposures to radiation following a large attack or incident has been identified as a necessity for rational and effective emergency medical response. In vivo electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of tooth enamel has been developed to meet this need.
A novel transportable EPR spectrometer, developed to facilitate tooth dosimetry in an emergency response setting, was used to measure upper incisors in a model system, in unirradiated subjects, and in patients who had received total body doses of 2 Gy.
A linear dose response was observed in the model system. A statistically significant increase in the intensity of the radiation-induced EPR signal was observed in irradiated versus unirradiated subjects, with an estimated standard error of dose prediction of 0.9 ± 0.3 Gy.
These results demonstrate the current ability of in vivo EPR tooth dosimetry to distinguish between subjects who have not been irradiated and those who have received exposures that place them at risk for acute radiation syndrome. Procedural and technical developments to further increase the precision of dose estimation and ensure reliable operation in the emergency setting are underway. With these developments EPR tooth dosimetry is likely to be a valuable resource for triage following potential radiation exposure of a large population.
在发生大规模袭击或事件后，能够估算个人所受辐射剂量，这已被确定为合理、有效开展应急医疗响应的必要条件。为此，人们开发出了基于牙釉质的体内电子顺磁共振（EPR）光谱技术。
为便于在应急响应环境下开展牙齿剂量测定，我们开发了一种新型便携式 EPR 光谱仪，并在模型系统、未经辐照的受试者和全身接受 2 Gy 剂量照射的患者中，对上切牙进行了测量。
在模型系统中观察到了线性剂量响应。与未经辐照的受试者相比，辐照受试者牙齿中辐射诱导 EPR 信号的强度出现了统计学意义上的显著增加，剂量预测的估计标准误差为 0.9 ± 0.3 Gy。
这些结果表明，目前的体内 EPR 牙齿剂量测定技术能够区分未受照射的受试者和已接受照射、有发生急性辐射综合征风险的受试者。目前正在开展程序和技术方面的开发工作，以进一步提高剂量估计的精度，并确保在应急环境中可靠运行。随着这些进展，EPR 牙齿剂量测定技术很可能成为在大规模人群发生潜在辐射暴露后进行分类的有价值资源。
