PTTL method applied to UV radiation detection during refractive surgery using excimer laser

Abstract

The method of phototransferred thermoluminescence (PTTL), using CaSO(4):Dy pellets produced at WEN as sensitive material, was used to detect the spread laser radiation inside the surgery room during refractive surgical procedures using ArF excimer lasers. the purpose of this work was to study the viability of performing the ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure detection of patients and the hospital's surgical staff during a refractive surgery. the CaSO(4):Dy pellets were positioned at different distances from the laser source inside the surgery room: patient's (congruent to 0.15 m), surgeon's (congruent to 0.5 m) and nurse's (congruent to 1.0 m) foreheads, lateral (congruent to 1.5 m) and back (congruent to 4.0 m) walls. the measurements of PTTL were carried out at two different conditions: five surgeries, each one taking similar to 10 min, and during a period of 4 h (cumulative), when several operations were performed. the detectors positioned as far as 4.0 m from the UV laser source were sensitised, making the UVR detection feasible at large source-detector distances. the absorbed energy was detected in the range from 40 mu J to 30 mJ during a surgery. This result indicates that the method studied can be used to detect the spread UVR.