ae whee fy dPak a be

97
bvhere the matrices A and B correspond to the comFponents K, and K,of the response kernel, multiplied by

appropriate quadrature weights. The regularization unwlding is based on the physically meaningful assumption that (except possible at a few irregular locations)

the magnitude of the activity f(z,y) cannot change
abruptly between one point and its immediate neighbors
ou the grid or between two adjacent grids; in other
words, we require the surface f(x,y) of the distribution
to be sufficiently smooth. The solution of the matrix
equation (3) subject to our smoothness requirements
becomes

F = (A774 + yt S|A7GB* (BB? + yS2Ss]"',

(4)

whore 8; and S_ are appropriate smoothing matrices and
vy, and yz are corresponding weights. Usually it suffices

to compute Eq. (4) for a few values of +; and +2 in order
to estimate the acceptable values of these weights y:
anil y:. The acceptable values of y1 and yz are those
which would lead to a new spectrum G’ with an error
comparable to the expected statistical and experimental

error in the given spectrum.

Figure 82 shows a typical surface studied and Figure
83 compares both the usual (unsmoothed) solution (y1 =
ye = 0) and the smoothed solution (y1 = y2 = 0.04)
with the exact distribution for two sets of three
typical cross sections, each parallel to the x and y axis,
respectively. Because of symmetry, the sets of Figure
83 correspond to only one of the peaks of Figure 82.
The errorin the spectra g(z’,y’) in this case was between
24% and 28%.

A detailed analysis of the two dimensional regularization unfolding described above is currently being
prepared for publication.
REFERENCES

1. Marinelli, L. D., Clemente, G. F., Abu-Shumays, I. K., and
Steingraber, O. J. Argonne National Laboratory Radiological Physics Division Annual Report, July 1967-June
1968. ANL-7489, p. 1.
2. Clemente, G. F., Marinelli, L. D., and Abu-Shumays, I.
K. This report.
3. Phillips, D. L. J. Assoc. Comput. Mach. 9, 1 (1962).

METABOLISM OF 28°Th DECAY SERIES RADIONUCLIDES IN MAN AND OTHER ANIMALS
FOLLOWING INTRAVASCULAR ADMINISTRATION OF THOROTRAST
RM. Parr*, H. F. Lucas, Jr., and M, L. GriemT
—_—

Tho setivities of °Th decay series radionuclides have been
Sludicd in tissue samples from 6 human patients and 9 experinienttal animals to whom Thorotrast had been administered
intrivascularly. In favorable cases where analyses could be
colmenced before extensive in vitro radioactive growth or
decay had occurred, the tn vivo activities of seven nuclides,

*Th. “Ra, Ac, “Th, “Ra, **Pb, and “Bi, were determined.

The nvailable information on the translocation of these nu-

chiles within the bodyis reviewed, and current “best-estimates”

pare derived for the distribution of activities and consequent

[done rates in the tissues of typical long-term Thorotrast patitnts, The anomalous behavior of “*Ra, which is retained in

th reticuloendothelial system in high concentrations, is ex-

Pliined by a model which postulates that atoms are trapped
Within the Thorotrast particles unless the recoil distance
thiough which they move at the moment of their creation is
Sillicient to allow their escape.
INTRODUCTION

Thorotrast is a commercial preparation of colloidal

thorium dioxide which was introduced as a contrast

jmetum for radiography around 1931. Because of its
|
ats of th

Present address: Department of Research and Isotopes,

1 rnational Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna.

-\rgonne Cancer Research Hospital, Chicago.

excellent contrast properties and its ease of administration, it was widely used for many years, mainly for

angiography but also in other applications such as
retrograde pyelography. Around 1945, however,it came

into disrepute when the possibility was recognized of
undesirable delayed sequelae resulting from its radioactivity and negligible excretion rate. Since then, its
use in man has been largely discontinued.
Despite this diminished importance in radiography,

interest in the metabolic characteristics of Thorotrast
has tended to increase. As was pointed out by Marinelli,“ the many thousandsof patients to whom it was
administered intravascularly during the years that it
was in common usage now constitute an invaluable

and irreplaceable potential source of data on the effects of low level and long-term irradiation in man.

This is particularly the case for those patients to whom

it was administered for cérebral angiography since
they have a long life expectancy, and any observable

effects are not likely to be related to the need fortreatment.

Of fundamental importance in any study of the radiation effects of Thorotrast is, of course, the accurate

Select target paragraph3