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1.
Materials (Basel) ; 17(7)2024 Mar 27.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38612035

This work presents a Fricke-XO-Pluronic F-127 2D radiochromic dosimeter with a flat-bed scanner for 2D reading and a dedicated data processing software package as a tool for performing coincidence testing of the radiation and mechanical isocenter of a medical accelerator. The optimal irradiation parameters were determined as follows: monitor units per beam and multi-leaf collimator gap, which are ≤750-≤2500 MU and 2-5 mm, respectively, for a cuboidal container with dimensions of 12 × 12 × 0.3 cm3. Despite the diffusion of Fe3+ ions occurring during irradiation, 2D reading can be performed at least 3 h after irradiation, without affecting the calculation performance of the coincidence test. The test was successfully performed for various irradiation settings. Overall, the Fricke-XO-Pluronic F-127 dosimeter has proven to be a potential tool for the coincidence testing of medical accelerators.

2.
Materials (Basel) ; 17(6)2024 Mar 11.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38541437

Dynamically evolving radiotherapy instruments require advancements in compatible 3D dosimetry systems. This paper reports on such tools for the coincidence test of the mechanical and radiation isocenter for a medical accelerator as part of the quality assurance in routine radiotherapy practice. Three-dimensional polymer gel dosimeters were used in combination with 3D reading by iterative cone beam computed tomography and 3D data processing using the polyGeVero-CT software package. Different polymer gel dosimeters were used with the following acronyms: VIP, PAGAT, MAGIC, and NIPAM. The same scheme was used for each dosimeter: (i) irradiation sensitivity test for the iterative cone beam computed tomography reading to determine the appropriate monitor unit for irradiation, and (ii) verification of the chosen irradiation conditions by a star-shot 2D irradiation of each 3D dosimeter in the direction of performing the test. This work concludes with the optimum monitor unit per beam for each selected 3D dosimeter, delivers schemes for quick and easy determination of the radiation isocenter and performing the coincidence test.

3.
Int J Mol Sci ; 25(5)2024 Mar 02.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38474163

This work presents an ecological, flexible 2D radiochromic dosimeter for measuring ionizing radiation in the kilogray dose range. Cotton woven fabric made of cellulose was volume-modified with nitrotetrazolium blue chloride as a radiation-sensitive compound. Its features include a color change during exposure from yellowish to purple-brown and flexibility that allows it to adapt to various shapes. It was found that (i) the dose response is up to ~80 kGy, (ii) it is independent of the dose rate for 1.1-73.1 kGy/min, (iii) it can be measured in 2D using a flatbed scanner, (iv) the acquired images can be filtered using a mean filter, which improves its dose resolution, (v) the dose resolution is -0.07 to -0.4 kGy for ~0.6 to ~75.7 kGy for filtered images, and (vi) two linear dose subranges can be distinguished: ~0.6 to ~7.6 kGy and ~9.9 to ~62.0 kGy. The dosimeter combined with flatbed scanner reading and data processing using dedicated software packages constitutes a comprehensive system for measuring dose distributions for objects with complex shapes.


Radiation Dosimeters , Radiation, Ionizing , Cellulose , Radiometry/methods
4.
Phys Med ; 104: 23-31, 2022 Dec.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36356501

PURPOSE: A new commercial 2D ionising radiation dosimeter (2Day.QA®) was developed. This work aims to introduce the basic functions of 2Day.QA®. METHODS: The dosimeter is made mainly of a linear polysaccharide consisting of ß(1 â†’ 4) linked d-glucose units and radiation active substances, which make it environmentally friendly. For 2Day.QA® irradiation, radiotherapy ionising radiation sources were used. The analysis of 2Day.QA® was performed using three scanners: Vidar® Red LED Dosimetry Pro Advantage™, Vidar® VXR 12-plus™ and HP Scanjet G3010 flatbed scanner. The stability of 2Day.QA® was tested. Exemplary applications of 2DayQA® for QA studies of accelerator light and radiation field coincidence and brachytherapy source position were carried out. RESULTS: The dosimeter responded to the lowest applied dose of 0.95 Gy and saturated at over 94.9 Gy. The quasi-linear dose response is below 20 Gy. Vidar® Red LED Dosimetry Pro Advantage™ has proven to be superior to other scanners at determining dose effects in 2Day.QA®. The stability of the non-irradiated 2Day.QA® is at least 18 months. After 18 months of storage, the dosimeter reacted to irradiation. In the case of the irradiated samples, a slight color drift related to the absorbed dose was observed. Tests of the use of 2Day.QA® to control the quality of the accelerator light and radiation field coincidence and brachytherapy source position have shown that it can be used for such applications. CONCLUSIONS: The study reveals the potential of 2Day.QA® for 2D radiation dosimetry and concludes with recommendations for the use of the dosimeter for radiotherapy QA tests.


Radiation Dosimeters , Polysaccharides , Glucose
5.
Materials (Basel) ; 15(19)2022 Sep 30.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36234149

This work presents an approach to the fast determination of a medical accelerator irradiation isocenter as a quality assurance (QA) procedure in radiotherapy. The isocenter determination tool is the tissue equivalent high-resolution 3D polymer gel dosimeter (PABIGnx) in a dedicated container combined with kilovoltage imaging systems and the polyGeVero-CT software package (v. 1.2, GeVero Co., Poland). Two accelerators were employed: Halcyon and TrueBeam (Varian, USA), both equipped with cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and iterative reconstruction CBCT (iCBCT) algorithms. The scope of this work includes: (i) the examination of factors influencing image quality (reconstruction algorithms and modes), radiation field parameters (dose and multi-leaf collimator (MLC) gaps), fiducial markers, signal averaging for reconstruction algorithms and the scanning time interval between consecutive scans, (ii) the examination of factors influencing the isocenter determination, image processing (signal averaging, background subtraction, image filtering) and (iii) an isocenter determination report using a 2D and 3D approach. An optimized protocol and isocenter determination conditions were found. The time and effort required to determine the isocenter are discussed.

6.
Materials (Basel) ; 15(15)2022 Jul 28.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35955164

Fricke-XO-Pluronic F-127 has recently been proposed as a 3D dosimeter for radiotherapy. It contains the typical ingredients of the Fricke ionizing radiation dosimeter, which are embedded in a physical gel of poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(propylene oxide)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (Pluronic F-127). The main reactions upon irradiation are the conversion of Fe+2 to Fe+3 and the formation of a colored complex with XO ([XO-Fe]+3). The study attempts to optimize the dosimeter in terms of its solution-to-gel transition temperature. In order to lower this temperature, the use of NaCl salt has been proposed. The new composition was characterized in order to obtain information on its thermal performance, storage stability, dose response to irradiation with a medical accelerator emitting different types of radiation, and tissue equivalence. The results obtained show an improvement in the sol-gel transition temperature and dose sensitivity compared to the composition without NaCl and broaden the knowledge of the Fricke-XO-Pluronic F-127.

7.
Materials (Basel) ; 15(7)2022 Mar 31.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35407883

This work presents the features of the PABIGnx 3D polymer gel dosimeter. It consists of two cross-linkers: poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA), as one biacrylic component, and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA), which is another cross-linker often used in 3D dosimeters. Additionally, it contains oxygen scavenges of copper sulfate pentahydrate and ascorbic acid. All ingredients are embedded in a physical gel matrix of gelatine. Upon irradiation, the biacrylic cross-linking agents (PEGDA and MBA) undergo radical polymerisation and cross-linking, which is manifested by the appearance of the opacity of the intensity related to the absorbed dose. PABIGnx was irradiated with an oncological source of ionising radiation, and analysed by using a nuclear magnetic resonance (0.5 T). The following characteristics were obtained: (i) linear and dynamic dose-response of 0.5 to ~18 Gy and 40 Gy, respectively, (ii) dose sensitivity of 0.071 ± 0.001 Gy-1 s-1, (iii) integral 3D dose distribution for at least 24 days after irradiation, (iv) adequate batch-to-batch reproducibility, (v) dose-response independent of irradiation with 6 MV photons, 15 MV photons, 6 MV photons FFF of 0.0168-0.1094 Gy/s dose rates, and (vi) soft tissue equivalence. The study showed that the features of PABIGnx confirm its suitability for use in 3D radiotherapy dosimetry.

8.
Materials (Basel) ; 15(3)2022 Jan 27.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35160929

This paper presents the results of research on the Fricke-XO-Pluronic F-127 dosimeter. It consists of a Fricke dosimetric solution and xylenol orange (XO), which are embedded in a matrix of poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(propylene oxide)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (Pluronic F-127). Upon irradiation, Fe+2 ions transform into Fe+3, forming a colored complex with XO ([XO-Fe]+3). The color intensity is related to the dose absorbed. The optimal composition, storage conditions, and radiation-induced performance of the Fricke-XO-Pluronic F-127 dosimeter were investigated. The optimal composition was found to be 1 mM FAS, 50 mM sulfuric acid (H2SO4), 0.165 mM XO in 25% Pluronic F-127. The basic features of this dosimeter are discussed, such as dose sensitivity, linear and dynamic dose range, stability before and after irradiation, storage conditions, dose response for irradiation with 6 and 15 MV photons, and batch-to-batch reproducibility. The obtained results showed a certain potential of the Fricke-XO-Pluronic F-127 for radiotherapy dosimetry.

9.
Materials (Basel) ; 14(14)2021 Jul 15.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34300879

This paper aims to explain the phenomenon of laser light trapping (LLT) in a 3D polymer gel dosimeter. A VIC-T polymer gel dosimeter containing 17% N-vinylpyrrolidone, 8% N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide, 12% tert-butyl alcohol, 5% gelatine, 0.02% hydroquinone and 14 mM tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium chloride was used in this study. It was exposed to green laser light with a wavelength of 532 nm. A film was recorded during the exposure. After exposure, Raman spectroscopy was used to study the reactions taking place inside the dosimeter. The obtained results were used to explain what the LLT phenomenon is, what are the consequences for the dosimeter in which such a phenomenon occurs, and what dosimeter components play an important role in the occurrence of LLT. In addition, the conditions under which 3D polymer gel dosimeters can be measured using optical computed tomography at short wavelengths of visible laser light are indicated.

10.
Phys Med ; 69: 134-146, 2020 Jan.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31901838

PURPOSE: Advanced 3D dosimetry is required for verifications of complex dose distributions in modern radiotherapy. Two 3D polymer gel dosimeters, coupled with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (3 T MRI) readout and data processing with polyGeVero® software, were tested for the verification of calculated 3D dose distributions by a treatment planning system (TPS) and ArcCHECK®-3DVH®, related to eradication of a lung tumour. METHODS: N-vinylpyrrolidone-containing 3D polymer gel dosimeters were used: VIC (containing ascorbic acid and copper sulfate pentahydrate) and VIC-T (containing tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium chloride). Three remote centers were involved in the dosimeters preparation and irradiation (Poland), and MRI (Austria). Cross beam calibration of the dosimeters and verification of a 3D dose distribution calculated with an Eclipse External Beam TPS and ArcCHECK®-3DVH® were performed. The 3D-to-3D comparisons of the VIC and VIC-T with TPS and ArcCHECK®-3DVH® along with ArcCHECK®-3DVH® versus TPS dose matrixes were performed with the aid of the polyGeVero® by analyzing dose profiles, isodoses lines, gamma index, gamma angle, dose difference, and related histograms. RESULTS: The measured MR-relaxation rate (R2 = 1/T2) for the dosimeters relates to the dose, as follows: R2 = 0.0928 ± 0.0008 [Gy-1 s-1] × D [Gy] + 2.985 ± 0.012 [s-1] (VIC) and 0.1839 ± 0.0044 [Gy-1 s-1] × D [Gy] + 2.519 ± 0.053 [s-1] (VIC-T). The 3D-to-3D comparisons revealed a good agreement between the measured and calculated 3D dose distributions. CONCLUSIONS: VIC and VIC-T with 3T MRI readout and polyGeVero® showed potential for verifications of calculated irradiation plans. The results obtained suggest the implementation of the irradiation plan for eradication of the lung tumour.


Lung Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging , Lung Neoplasms/radiotherapy , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Pyrrolidinones , Radiometry/instrumentation , Radiotherapy/methods , Calibration , Gelatin/chemistry , Humans , Imaging, Three-Dimensional , Polymers , Radiometry/methods , Software
11.
Phys Med Biol ; 64(17): 175017, 2019 09 05.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31272088

This work reports results related to the manufacturing and optimisation of a leuco crystal violet (LCV)-Pluronic F-127 radiochromic gel dosimeter suitable for 3D radiotherapy dosimetry. A feature of this gel is that the natural gelatine polymer, which is most often used as a matrix in 3D dosimeters, is substituted with Pluronic F-127 synthetic copolymer (poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(propylene oxide)-block-poly(ethylene oxide). Pluronic F-127 ensures a higher transparency than gelatine, which may be beneficial for optical computed tomography readout, and improves the thermal properties in the temperature range above ~30 °C at which the gelatine physical gel converts to a solution. The optimal composition obtained comprises 2 mM LCV, 4 mM 4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenyl-polyethylene glycol (Triton X-100), 17 mM trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) and 25% Pluronic F-127. Its main dose-response features are 4‒150 Gy linear dose range (150 Gy was the maximal dose applied to gels in this work), 0.0070 Gy-1 cm-1 dose sensitivity (derived from absorbance (600 nm) = f (dose) for 6 MeV electrons, 0.88(3) Gy s-1 and 0.0156 Gy-1 cm-1 derived from optical density (Δµ) = f (dose) for 6 MV x-rays, 0.1010 Gy s-1), low initial colour (initial absorbance = 0.0429) and a diffusion coefficient of crystal violet (CV) in LCV-Pluronic of 0.054 ± 0.023 mm2 h-1. Raman spectroscopy was used to characterize LCV-Pluronic chemical changes after irradiation. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) revealed that LCV-Pluronic is stable in temperatures between approximately 11 °C and 56 °C. Irradiation of LCV-Pluronic gel impacts on its first sol-gel transition temperature and the thermal effect of this process-both increased with absorbed dose, which might be related to the degradation of Pluronic. LCV-Pluronic is a promising 3D dosimeter for ionising radiation applications. Further work is needed to improve LCV-Pluronic response in the low dose region, and characterize potential effects of pH, temperature during irradiation, and radiation quality/dose rate on dose response characteristics.


Film Dosimetry/instrumentation , Gelatin/chemistry , Polyethylene Glycols/chemistry , Propylene Glycols/chemistry , Radiation Dosimeters/standards , Electrons , Film Dosimetry/methods , Gentian Violet/chemistry , Octoxynol/chemistry , Tomography, Optical
12.
Phys Med Biol ; 64(3): 035019, 2019 01 31.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30577036

This work reports on the impact of tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium chloride (THPC) on the properties of a VIC gel dosimeter (VIC is an abbreviated acronym of VIPARCT). THPC was used as a substitute oxygen scavenger in VIC (17% N-vinylpyrrolidone, 8% N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide, 12% tert-butyl alcohol, 7.5% gelatine, 0.02% hydroquinone and an oxygen scavenger of 0.007% ascorbic acid and 0.0008% CuSO4 × 5H2O). THPC reduced the gelation time of VIC from hours to minutes. The best composition (VIC-T) contained 14 mM THPC and a reduced gelatine concentration (5%) with respect to VIC, which allowed for gelation in about 3 min. VIC-T was characterised by the same dose sensitivity (0.176 ± 0.003 Gy-1 s-1 for VIC-T and 0.171 ± 0.002 Gy-1 s-1 for VIC), dose threshold (0.5 Gy) and dynamic dose range (0.5‒50 Gy) as VIC, and a lower linear dose range (20 Gy for VIC-T, 30 Gy for VIC) (0.47 T NMR measurements). VIC-T was stable for at least 10 days after irradiation, and 3D dose distribution was stable for over 4 months after irradiation. The dose response of VIC-T was independent of the radiation dose rate, type and energy of radiation for 6 and 15 MV photons and 12 MeV electrons. This is an improvement with respect to VIC which showed a different dose response for 6 MV photons than for 12 MeV electrons and 15 MV photons. Raman spectroscopy showed similarity in the rate of radiation-induced conversion of monomers in VIC and VIC-T, indicating interaction of THPC with gelatine in VIC-T, and showed ageing of gelatine in both dosimeters. Differential scanning calorimetry showed VIC-T stability at 0 °C-80 °C (VIC: 0 °C‒29.5 °C). The chemical polymerisation and crosslinking of gelatine with THPC is reported, the mechanism of which was analysed in detail. A comparison of N-vinylpyrrolidone-containing dosimeters is presented in this work.


Organophosphorus Compounds/chemistry , Oxygen/chemistry , Polymers/chemistry , Radiometry/instrumentation , Electrons , Gels , Photons
13.
Phys Med Biol ; 63(17): 175010, 2018 09 06.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30102250

This work discusses the substitution of a gelatine physical gel matrix with a matrix made of poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(propylene oxide)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (Pluronic F-127) in five 3D radiotherapy polymer gel dosimeters: MAGAT, PAGAT, NIPAM, VIPARnd (VIP) and VIPARCT (VIC). The current research outcomes showed that not each polymer gel dosimeter could be manufactured with Pluronic F-127. Two of the polymer gel dosimeters (PAGAT and VIP) containing the Pluronic F-127 matrix allowed for some proper dose response for radiotherapy dosimetry (a response to a dose range of e.g. 0‒50 Gy). The new best performing Pluronic-based polymer gel dosimeters were characterised by improved nuclear magnetic resonance properties, when being compared to gels with gelatine matrix at the same monomer content. These are: (i) a ~33% higher dose sensitivity; (ii) a comparable or slightly higher linear and dynamic dose range and (iii) a lower (new VIP composition, VIP3) or equivocal (new PAGAT composition, PAGAT2-Pluronic) dose threshold. However, there might be optimised gelatine based polymer dosimeters demonstrating even better sensitivity. UV-vis spectrophotometry measurements revealed that Pluronic matrices ensure six-times lower (VIP3-Pluronic) and eight-times lower (PAGAT2-Pluronic) absorbance (at 400 nm) of non-irradiated gels compared to gelatine matrices, which makes the new polymer gel dosimeters optically improved in comparison to their corresponding gelatine-based compositions. The differences in absorption reduce for higher wavelengths. Differential scanning calorimetry measurements revealed the following temperature stability ranges for the gels: (i) VIP with gelatine matrix: 0 °C‒26 °C, (ii) VIP3 with Pluronic matrix: 13.8 °C-55.2 °C, (iii) PAGAT2 with gelatine matrix: 0 °C-80 °C and (iv) PAGAT2 with Pluronic matrix: 21.4 °C-55.2 °C. In conclusion, Pluronic F-127 is an attractive co-polymer to serve as a substitute for the gelatine matrix in some 3D polymer gel dosimeters.


Gelatin/chemistry , Gels/chemistry , Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy/methods , Phantoms, Imaging , Poloxamer/chemistry , Radiation Dosimeters , Radiometry/instrumentation , Humans , Polymers/chemistry , Temperature
14.
Phys Med Biol ; 63(9): 095012, 2018 05 04.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29620020

This work is a follow-up study for a recently-proposed 3D radiochromic gel dosimeter that contains a tetrazolium salt and a physical gel matrix made of poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(propylene oxide)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (Pluronic F-127). Several tetrazolium salts were examined in this work, including tetrazolium violet, blue tetrazolium chloride, nitro blue tetrazolium chloride (NBT), tetranitro blue tetrazolium chloride (tNBT) and thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide (TBTB). The salt-containing gel dosimeters were compared with the first Pluronic gel composition that contained 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) as the radiation-sensitive component (dose sensitivity of 0.0023 (Gy cm)-1). The Pluronic gels with NBT and tNBT outperformed the other gels, including the TTC-containing gel, with respect to their dose sensitivity and low dose-response. The NBT gels were found to have better stability over time than tNBT gels. Sensitization of the gels to ionizing radiation was examined by addition of tert-butyl alcohol and sodium formate. The best composition was 0.0818% NBT (1 mM), 25% Pluronic F-127 and 0.136 × 10-2% sodium formate. This gel dosimeter was insensitive to changes in dose rate for photons of different energies. The mean dose sensitivity amounted to 0.0047 ± 0.1 × 10-4 (Gy cm)-1. A diversion in the dose-response was observed for the gel irradiated with electrons. Additional characteristics of the NBT gel were a linear-dose range and a dynamic-dose range between <1 and ⩾150 Gy and a dose threshold of <1 Gy. The dose distribution registered for the NBT-Pluronic gel was stable after irradiation for over 7 d with no visible diffusion of the irradiated part, which is analogous to the original TTC-Pluronic gel.


Gels/chemistry , Poloxamer/chemistry , Polyethylene Glycols/chemistry , Propylene Glycols/chemistry , Radiation Dosimeters , Radiometry/instrumentation , Radiometry/methods , Tetrazolium Salts/chemistry , Electrons , Humans
15.
Phys Med Biol ; 62(3): 986-1008, 2017 02 07.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28081000

This work presents an improvement of the VIPARnd ('nd' stands for 'normoxic, double', or VIP) polymer gel dosimeter. The gel composition was altered by increasing the concentration of the monomeric components, N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP) and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA), in co-solvent solutions. The optimal composition (VIPARCT, where 'CT' stands for computed tomography, or VIC) comprised: 17% NVP, 8% MBA, 12% t-BuOH, 7.5% gelatine, 0.007% ascorbic acid, 0.0008% CuSO4 × 5H2O and 0.02% hydroquinone. The following characteristics of VIC were achieved: (i) linear dose range of 0.9_30 Gy, (ii) saturation for radiation doses of over 50 Gy, (iii) threshold dose of about 0.5 Gy, (iv) dose sensitivity of 0.171 Gy-1 s-1, which is roughly 2.2 times higher than that of VIP (for nuclear magnetic resonance measurements). It was also found that VIC is dose- rate-independent, and its dose response does not alter if the radiation source is changed from electrons to photons for external beam radiotherapy. The gel responded similarly to irradiation with small changes in radiation energy but was sensitive to larger energy changes. The VIC gel retained temporal stability from 20 h until at least 10 d after irradiation, whereas spatial stability was retained from 20 h until at least 6 d after irradiation. The scheme adopted for VIC manufacturing yields repeatable gels in terms of radiation dose response. The VIC was also shown to perform better than VIP using x-ray computed tomography as a readout method; the dose sensitivity of VIC (0.397 HU Gy-1) was 1.5 times higher than that of VIP. Also, the dose resolution of VIC was better than that of VIP in the whole dose range examined.


Gels/radiation effects , Polymers/radiation effects , Radiation Dosimeters , Radiotherapy/instrumentation , Acrylamides/radiation effects , Electrons , Photons , Pyrrolidinones/radiation effects , Radiometry/instrumentation , Radiometry/methods , Radiotherapy/methods , Sensitivity and Specificity
16.
Phys Med Biol ; 59(15): 4111-36, 2014 Aug 07.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25003788

The subject of this work is polyGeVero(®) software (GeVero Co., Poland), which has been developed to fill the requirements of fast calculations of 3D dosimetry data with the emphasis on polymer gel dosimetry for radiotherapy. This software comprises four workspaces that have been prepared for: (i) calculating calibration curves and calibration equations, (ii) storing the calibration characteristics of the 3D dosimeters, (iii) calculating 3D dose distributions in irradiated 3D dosimeters, and (iv) comparing 3D dose distributions obtained from measurements with the aid of 3D dosimeters and calculated with the aid of treatment planning systems (TPSs). The main features and functions of the software are described in this work. Moreover, the core algorithms were validated and the results are presented. The validation was performed using the data of the new PABIG(nx) polymer gel dosimeter. The polyGeVero(®) software simplifies and greatly accelerates the calculations of raw 3D dosimetry data. It is an effective tool for fast verification of TPS-generated plans for tumor irradiation when combined with a 3D dosimeter. Consequently, the software may facilitate calculations by the 3D dosimetry community. In this work, the calibration characteristics of the PABIG(nx) obtained through four calibration methods: multi vial, cross beam, depth dose, and brachytherapy, are discussed as well.


Radiometry/methods , Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted/methods , Software , Brachytherapy/methods , Brachytherapy/standards , Calibration , Radiometry/standards , Radiotherapy Dosage/standards , Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted/standards
17.
Acta Phys Pol A ; 122(5): 969-974, 2012 Nov.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30135615

Sophisticated techniques employed in radiotherapy for irradiation of tumours require comprehensive dosimetry allowing for precise, high resolution measurements of radiation dose distribution in three dimensions and verification of treatment planning systems. Polymer gel dosimetry has been shown to be a unique technique for three-dimensional high resolution measurements of absorbed radiation dose distributions. If exposed to ionizing radiation, radical polymerisation and crosslinking of monomeric components take place in a 3D polymer gel dosimeter, leading to the formation of large polymeric structures that scatter visible light. This feature allows for optical observation of the effects of the absorbed dose and its distribution. Presently, magnetic resonance imaging is employed the most often for analysis of 3D polymer gel dosimeters. However, much attention is also being given to the development of optical computed tomography since this technique is hoped to serve as a substitute for expensive and not easily available magnetic resonance imaging. The optical scanner presented in this work consists of a laser diode, a scanning system and a signal detector. A 3D polymer gel dosimeter is measured in an immersion liquid in order to reduce deflection of the light from the dosimeter phantom. The very first results were obtained with the newly constructed scanner for PABIGnx 3D polymer gel dosimeter, which was inhomogeneously irradiated with 192Ir brachytherapy source. The results have been contrasted with those for magnetic resonance imaging and are presented in this work together with the description of the optical scanner. Currently, optimization of the optical scanner is performed.

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