RESUMEN
PURPOSE: This study was designed to assess the suitability of a 103Pd-implanted stent for use in intravascular brachytherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A stent was modeled as a superposition of 201 identical struts and the EGS4/DOSRZ Monte Carlo code was used to calculate the dose distribution for each strut. To verify the simulation parameters, doses along the transverse axis of a Model 200 103Pd interstitial seed were calculated and compared to those calculated by the TG43 method. RESULTS: Dose profiles within 1 mm of the stent's outer surface were heterogeneous and reflected the stent's structure. For a 2-mm outer-diameter 103Pd-implanted stent, approximately 2.68 x 10(7) Bq were required to deliver 31.5 Gy in 28 days at a distance of 0.5 mm along the perpendicular bisector from the stent's outer surface. The Monte Carlo simulation of the 103Pd seed showed relative doses within 7% of the values calculated by the TG43 method. CONCLUSION: The dosimetry about a 103Pd-implanted stent suggests that the stent is suitable for use in intravascular brachytherapy.