Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dosimeters in Clinical Practice

Optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters (OSLDs) are crystalline detectors that store radiation signal for future readout. They behave very similarly to thermoluminescent dosimeters with the primary difference being that they are stimulated by light instead of heat. While the signal released is very nearly proportional to the dose received by the OSLD, variations in the detector response require application of various correction factors. Additionally, different clinical scenarios will impact the appropriate use and uncertainty budget of this detector. This chapter overviews the theory of OSLD use, the formalism for dose calculation, typical uncertainty budgets associated with OSLD, and finally, special considerations for different clinical applications.