[Practical application of optimization criteria for geometrical distributions of the radiation dose: choice of the irradiation technique in 60Co-teletherapy (author's transl)].

Fifty-four usual cases of radiation therapy were evaluated, comparing the effective surface doses in sound tissues for different irradiation techniques. Irradiation of the esophagus, mediastinum, lung and bladder was calculated for the cross-fire method, 3-field therapy, and monaxial or biaxial pendulum technique. Pendulum irradiation proved superior to multiple-field techniques in all cases. The number of free parameters in computer-assisted relative optimization of dose distributions can be reduced by means of the determination of the irradiation technique.