Ultrasound-assisted carbon ion dosimetry and range measurement using injectable polymer-shelled phase-change nanodroplets: in vitro study.
Sci Rep
; 12(1): 8012, 2022 05 14.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35568710
ABSTRACT
Methods allowing for in situ dosimetry and range verification are essential in radiotherapy to reduce the safety margins required to account for uncertainties introduced in the entire treatment workflow. This study suggests a non-invasive dosimetry concept for carbon ion radiotherapy based on phase-change ultrasound contrast agents. Injectable nanodroplets made of a metastable perfluorobutane (PFB) liquid core, stabilized with a crosslinked poly(vinylalcohol) shell, are vaporized at physiological temperature when exposed to carbon ion radiation (C-ions), converting them into echogenic microbubbles. Nanodroplets, embedded in tissue-mimicking phantoms, are exposed at 37 °C to a 312 MeV/u clinical C-ions beam at different doses between 0.1 and 4 Gy. The evaluation of the contrast enhancement from ultrasound imaging of the phantoms, pre- and post-irradiation, reveals a significant radiation-triggered nanodroplets vaporization occurring at the C-ions Bragg peak with sub-millimeter shift reproducibility and dose dependency. The specific response of the nanodroplets to C-ions is further confirmed by varying the phantom position, the beam range, and by performing spread-out Bragg peak irradiation. The nanodroplets' response to C-ions is influenced by their concentration and is dose rate independent. These early findings show the ground-breaking potential of polymer-shelled PFB nanodroplets to enable in vivo carbon ion dosimetry and range verification.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Polímeros
/
Carbono
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Sci Rep
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Itália