A nomograph for permanent implants of palladium-103 seeds

103Pd is being substituted for 125I in permanent implants for which it is desired to deliver a higher initial dose rate while maintaining readily achieved radiation protection. We have constructed a nomograph to assist in determining both the total seed strength required and the appropriate needle spacing for 103Pd implants. We have calculated the "matched peripheral dose" (MPD), that is, the dose for which the isodose contour volume is equal to the target volume, for 64 125I and 13 103Pd actual implants as if 103Pd had been used for all of them, employing a computer lookup table based on single-seed dose distribution measurements in solid water. The calculated data were used to obtain a least-squares fit to a linear relationship between the logarithm of the total seed strength for a given MPD and the logarithm of the average dimension, da (cm). We found that, for a nominal MPD of 11,500 cGy, total seed strength (in mCi) is given by 3.2 da2.56. A 103Pd nomograph has been constructed on the basis of this power function relationship. Our nomographic guide for planning 103Pd implants calls for total seed strength to increase significantly faster as a function of target volume average dimension than is the case for 125I. This nomograph will facilitate the application of 103Pd seeds in permanent implants.