Experimental measurement of radiation dose in a dedicated breast CT system

Radiation dose is an important performance indicator of a dedicated breast CT (DBCT). In this paper, the method of putting thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) into a breast shaped PMMA phantom to study the dose distribution in breasts was improved by using smaller TLDs and a new half-ellipsoid PMMA phantom. Then the weighted CT dose index (CTDI_w) was introduced to average glandular assessment in DBCT for the first time and two measurement modes were proposed for different sizes of breasts. The dose deviations caused by using cylindrical phantoms were simulated using the Monte Carlo method and a set of correction factors were calculated. The results of the confirmatory measurement with a cylindrical phantom (11 cm/8 cm) show that CTDI_w gives a relatively conservative overestimate of the average glandular dose comparing to the results of Monte Carlo simulation and TLDs measurement. But with better practicability and stability, the CTDI_w is suitable for dose evaluations in daily clinical practice. Both of the TLDs and CTDI_w measurements demonstrate that the radiation dose of our DBCT system is lower than conventional two-view mammography.     

Gamma Knife® 3-D Dose Distribution Mapping by Magnetic Resonance Imaging

In medical processes where ionizing radiation is used, dose planning and dose delivery are the key elements to patient safety and treatment success, particularly, when the delivered dose in a single session of treatment can be an order of magnitude higher than the regular doses of radiotherapy. Therefore, the radiation dose should be well defined and precisely delivered to the target while minimizing radiation exposure to surrounding normal tissues [1]. Several methods have been proposed to obtain three-dimensional (3-D) dose distribution [2, 3]. In this paper, we propose an alternative method, which can be easily implemented in any stereotactic radiosurgery center with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) facility. A phantom with or without scattering centers filled with Fricke gel solution is irradiated with Gamma Knife^® system at a chosen spot. The phantom can be a replica of a human organ such as head, breast or any other organ. It can even be constructed from a real 3-D MR image of an organ of a patient using a computer-aided construction and irradiated at a specific region corresponding to the tumor position determined by MRI. The spin–lattice relaxation time T ₁ of different parts of the irradiated phantom is determined by localized spectroscopy. The T ₁-weighted phantom images are used to correlate the image pixels intensity to the absorbed dose and consequently a 3-D dose distribution with a high resolution is obtained.     

基于蒙特卡罗方法的XHA600D医用电子直线加速器的入射电子束参数研究

使用蒙特卡罗方法研究入射电子束参数对XHA600D医用电子直线加速器产生的剂量分布的影响,并确定优化的入射电子束参数。根据厂商提供的XHA600D加速器治疗头的几何、材料参数,使用蒙特卡罗程序EGSnrc对不同的入射电子束参数进行模拟并记录其在水模体中产生的剂量分布,将模拟结果与测量结果进行比较。模拟的入射电子束参数包括平均能量、径向强度分布、角度展宽和能量展宽;实验测量数据包括4 cm×4 cm、10 cm×10 cm、30 cm×30 cm射野条件下的百分深度剂量与离轴剂量。结果表明当入射电子束的平均能量为6 MeV、径向强度的半高宽(Full Width at Half Maximum, FWHM)为0.25 cm、角度展宽为0.15°时,模拟结果和测量结果吻合非常好。这些参数可以作为建立适用于XHA600D加速器的TPS(Treatment Planning System)剂量计算模型的基础参数。     

Monte Carlo Simulations of Reflected Spectra Derived from Tissue Phantom with Double-Peak Particle Size Distribution

We made a tissue phantom with double-peak particle size distribution, which has polystyrene particles of cell nuclear size and mitochondrial size, and measured the spectrum from the tissue phantom using a single optical fiber. In this paper we investigate the characterization method for the tissue phantom with double-peak particle size distribution by comparing the measured spectra with the calculated ones using the Monte Carlo (MC) method. It is first shown that the Mie phase function characterizes better than the Henyey-Greenstein (H-G) phase function in MC calculation. Next, we compare the measurement spectra with those obtained by modeling as single-peak, conventional modeling for particle size distribution, and for double-peak particle size distribution. The single-peak modeling is found to cause considerable error for the tissue phantom with double-peak particle size distribution, which seems to simulate a biological tissue. We suggest that if one simulates the particle size distribution of a biological tissue by conventional modeling, the accuracy of estimation will be lower.     

The comparison of the proton dose distribution calculated with the treatment planning system and measured with alanine detectors in the eye phantom irradiated under therapeutic conditions

The paper describes the applicability of commercially available alanine detectors produced by Synergy Health for verification of the dose distribution calculated by the treatment planning system (TPS) used in proton eye radiotherapy – Eclipse Ocular Proton Planning (EOPP) program, version 8.9.06, Varian Medical Systems. The TPS-planned dose distribution at selected points in the eye phantom is compared to the dose registered by alanine detectors at these points during a simulated therapeutic irradiation at the proton eye radiotherapy facility in the Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics (IFJ PAN), Krakow, Poland. The phantom was irradiated to obtain, a typical for choroidal melanoma, fraction dose of 15 CGE (13,64 Gy) at the tumor location. The dose registered with alanine pellets located inside the simulated tumor volume demonstrates a good agreement with the TPS-planned dose. The typical for proton radiotherapy, steep dose fall-off outside the treated area is registered by the alanine pellets however, it is difficult to assess it quantitatively, because the dose related EPR signal is registered from the entire pellet volume.     

基于TPS和蒙特卡罗计算的12C肿瘤放射治疗In-beam PET剂量监测研究

In-beam PET成像是碳离子放射治疗剂量监测的有效手段,可以对碳离子放疗过程的物理剂量分布和生物剂量分布进行实时监测。结合放射治疗计划系统(TPS)和蒙特卡罗(MC)模拟分别对静态均匀水模体和腹部肿瘤CT图像进行治疗计划设计、MC计算和PET成像,比较TPS肿瘤靶区剂量分布、MC模拟剂量分布和PET成像三者之间的一致性。TPS和MC模拟中相对生物学效应(RBE)的计算均采用线性二次模型(LQ)。研究结果显示,TPS和MC计算的静态均匀水模体、单野治疗腹部肿瘤的物理剂量、RBE加权剂量在SOBP区域的平均误差均在0.5%和2%以内。碳离子束流能量为120~400 MeV/u时,束流方向剂量深度分布与PET成像在SOBP区域的位置差异均在8 mm以内。In-beam PET可作为碳离子放射治疗中位置验证和剂量验证的有效手段。     

Developing a mailed phantom to implement a local QA program in Egypt radiotherapy centers

In this work, a simple method that differs from the IAEA/WHO Thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) postal quality assurance (QA) program is developed. A small perspex; polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), phantom measured 50?mm?×?50?mm?×?50?mm is constructed to be used for absorbed dose verification of high-energy photon beams in some major radiotherapy centers in Egypt. The phantom weighted only 140.7?g with two buildup covers weighted 14.8 and 43.19?g for the Cobalt-60 and the 6-MV X-ray beams, respectively. This phantom is aimed for use in the future’s external audit/QA services in Egypt for the first time. TLD-700 chips are used for testing and investigating a convenient and national dosimetry QA program. Although the used methodology is comparable to previously introduced but new system; it has smaller size, less weight, and different more available material. Comparison with the previous similar designs is introduced. Theoretical calculations were done by the commercial Eclipse treatment planning system, implementing the pencil beam convolution algorithm to verify the accuracy of the experimental calculation of the dose conversion factor of water to the perspex phantom. The new constructed small phantom and methodology was applied in 10 participating radiotherapy centers. The absorbed dose was verified under the reference conditions for both ⁶⁰Co and 6-MV high-energy photon beams. The checked beams were within the 5% limit except for four photon beams. There was an agreement of 0.2% between our experimental data and those previously published confirming the validity of the applied method in verifying radiotherapy absorbed dose.     

Microdosimetric characterisation of a therapeutic proton beam used for conjunctival melanoma treatments

In this study we have investigated the radiation quality of proton beams used to treat conjunctival melanomas at the Biomedical Cyclotron in Nice. To quantify radiation quality we have used a mini tissue-equivalent proportional counter (TEPC). Microdosimetric spectra have been measured at different depths and lateral positions in a Plexiglas eye phantom. A weighting function, which was derived from evaluations of the early effects on the mouse intestine, was applied to the spectra to obtain the microdosimetric assessment of relative biological effectiveness (RBEμ).Data show that RBEμ varies significantly in the eye phantom, from 1.1 to 1.7. However, within the conjunctiva the RBE-weighted dose varies in a similar fashion to the absorbed, although it is up to 20% higher than the corresponding absorbed dose.     

中国数字人体男性数学模型建立及外辐射模拟

基于中国数字人男一号高分辨人体结构数据集，通过最小包围盒方法获取中国数字人体男性体素模型各器官空间位置和尺寸信息，建立了中国数字人体男性数学模型，并通过变形实现了不同身高模型的构建。采用蒙特卡罗方法进行了不同能量下光子中子的外部辐射模拟。通过结果对比发现，数学模型与体素模型模拟结果趋势一致，但器官位置和质量对剂量影响较大，低能级下尤为明显。对于不同身高模型，小型个体剂量大于大型个体，深层器官剂量较浅层器官对器官尺寸更为敏感。数学模型定义简单，存储空间小，有利于人体辐射剂量的快速计算。     

Physical analysis of breast cancer using dual-source computed tomography

This study was aimed to analyze various physical characteristics of breast cancer using dual-source computed tomography (CT). A phantom study and a clinical trial were performed in order and a 64-multidetector CT device was used for the examinations. In the phantom study, single-source (SS) CT was set up with a conventional scanning condition that is usually applied for breast CT examination and implementation was done at tube voltage of 120?kVp. Dual-source CT acquired images by irradiating X-ray sources with fast switching between two kilovoltage settings (80 and 140?kVp). After scanning, Hounsfield Unit (HU) values and radiation doses in a region of interest were measured and analyzed. In the clinical trial, the HU values were measured and analyzed after single-source computed tomography (SSCT) and dual-source CT in patients diagnosed with breast cancer. Also, the tumor size measured by dual-source CT was compared with the actual tumor size. The phantom study determined that the tumor region was especially measured by dual-source CT, while nylon fiber and specks region were especially measured by SSCT. The radiation dose was high with dual-source CT. The clinical trial showed a higher HU value of cancerous regions when scanned by dual-source CT compared with SSCT.     

A mammographic phantom to measure mean glandular dose by thermoluminescent dosimetry

We have designed a phantom to evaluate mean glandular dose (MGD) as part of the regulatory dosimetry control for mammographic equipment. The phantom is constituted by TLD-100 thermoluminescent dosemeters (TLDs) inserted within semicircular plates of acrylic. Different groups of TLDs are used to determine entrance surface air kerma and half-value layer (HVL). Calibration of both tasks has been performed using a Senographe 2000D system and an ionization chamber. The phantom has been tested in five clinical systems. The HVL and MGD obtained by this method agree, on average, within 3%, with those from standard procedures based on the use of ionization chambers. The phantom MGD measurements have a combined uncertainty better than 10% (k = 1).     

TLD measurements and Monte Carlo simulations for glandular dose and scatter fraction assessment in mammography: A comparative study

The main purpose of this study was to validate and compare Mean Glandular Dose (MGD) values obtained using Monte Carlo simulations with experimental values obtained from Entrance Surface Dose (ESD) and depth dose measurements performed in a Hospital mammography unit. ESD and depth dose were measured using ThermoLuminescent Dosimeters (TLDs), and a tissue equivalent mammography phantom recommended by the American College of Radiology (ACR). Measurements and Monte Carlo simulations were also compared with the MGD calculated using the Automatic Exposure Control (AEC) system of the mammographic unit. In the simulations the Doppler energy broadening effect was also taken into account. The simulated ESD are about 5%–10% higher than the measured ESD values. The deviation between the measured and simulated MGD values in the phantom is of about 15%. The MGD evaluated using the AEC system is smaller both with respect to the Monte Carlo simulation and experimental result by a factor of about 15% and 25% respectively. Moreover the BackScatter Factor (BSF) estimated by Monte Carlo simulations was used for the MGD calculation according to the Wu’s method. Finally the inclusion of the energy broadening effect on MGD calculation produces negligible variations on the simulated results.     

An alternative method for using bipolar junction transistors as a radiation dosimetry detector in breast cancer treatment

Silicon photodetectors and MOSFETs (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors) are frequently used devices for measuring ionizing radiation in health physics instrumentation. The Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT) is not a typical device used as a detector for measuring some physical quantities in radiotherapy beams due to its loss of sensitivity to ionizing radiation, as a consequence of radiation damage in the silicon semiconductor substrate. Actually, the know-how of the BJT characteristic curves and its response to ionizing radiation leads us to suggest an alternative method to estimate the radiation dose value in breast cancer treatments. The BJT parameter to be evaluated before and after the irradiation procedure is the BJT amplification factor, also called DC gain β. In this work, the study was done using a BJT known as Darlington type, within an Alderson Rando anthropomorphic phantom. Darlington transistors have very high gain and this feature allowed that the BJT gain changes to be correlated with the dose of the radiation beam. The results indicate that this new method could be an alternative option to estimate the dose value in the phantom for measurements in breast cancer radiotherapy.     

Theoretical and phantom based investigation of the impact of sound speed and backscatter variations on attenuation slope estimation

Quantitative ultrasound features such as the attenuation slope, sound speed and scatterer size, have been utilized to evaluate pathological variations in soft tissues such as the liver and breast. However, the impact of variations in the sound speed and backscatter due to underlying fat content or fibrotic changes, on the attenuation slope has not been addressed. Both numerical and acoustically uniform tissue-mimicking experimental phantoms are used to demonstrate the impact of sound speed variations on attenuation slope using clinical real-time ultrasound scanners equipped with linear array transducers. Radiofrequency data at center frequencies of 4 and 5 MHz are acquired for the experimental and numerical phantoms respectively. Numerical phantom sound speeds between 1480 and 1600 m/s in increments of 20 m/s for attenuation coefficients of 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, and 0.7 dB/cm/MHz are simulated. Variations in the attenuation slope when the backscatter intensity of the sample is equal, 3 dB higher, and 3 dB lower than the reference is also evaluated. The sound speed for the experimental tissue-mimicking phantoms were 1500, 1540, 1560 and 1580 m/s respectively, with an attenuation coefficient of 0.5 dB/cm/MHz. Radiofrequency data is processed using three different attenuation estimation algorithms, i.e. the reference phantom, centroid downshift, and a hybrid method. In both numerical and experimental phantoms our results indicate a bias in attenuation slope estimates when the reference phantom sound speed is higher (overestimation) or lower (underestimation) than that of the sample. This bias is introduced via a small spectral shift in the normalized power spectra of the reference and sample with different sound speeds. The hybrid method provides the best estimation performance, especially for sample attenuation coefficient values lower than that of the reference phantom. The performance of all the methods deteriorates when the attenuation coefficient of the reference phantom is lower than that of the sample. In addition, the hybrid method is the least sensitive to sample backscatter intensity variations.     

Determination of photon fluence spectra from a 60Co therapy unit based on PENELOPE and MCNP simulations

Photon fluence spectra of the Seibersdorf Labor/BEV Picker ⁶⁰Co therapy unit were calculated using two generally recognised Monte Carlo codes, PENELOPE-2006 and MCNP5. The complexity of the simulation model was increased in three steps (from a pure source capsule and a simplified model using rotational symmetry to a realistic model of the facility). Photon fluence spectra of both codes generally agree within their statistical standard uncertainties for the case of identical geometry set-up and particle transport parameter settings. Resulting total fluence values were about 0.3% higher for MCNP as compared to PENELOPE. The verification of the simulated photon fluence spectra was based upon depth–dose measurements in water performed with a PTW 31003 ionisation chamber and a thick-walled chamber type CC01. The depth–dose curve calculated with PENELOPE agreed with the curve obtained from measurements within 0.4% across the available depth region in the 30 cm × 30 cm × 30 cm water phantom. The comparison of measured and simulated beam quality indices (TPR_20,10) revealed deviations of less than 0.2%.     

Determination of Very Slow Diffusion of Paramagnetic Ions by NMR Spectroscopy

In this paper, we propose a new method of measuring the very slow paramagnetic ion diffusion coefficient using a commercial high-resolution spectrometer. If there are distinct paramagnetic ions influencing the hydrogen nuclear magnetic relaxation time differently, their diffusion coefficients can be measured separately. A cylindrical phantom filled with Fricke xylenol gel solution and irradiated with gamma rays was used to validate the method. The Fricke xylenol gel solution was prepared with 270 Bloom porcine gelatin, the phantom was irradiated with gamma rays originated from a ⁶⁰Co source and a high-resolution 200 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer was used to obtain the phantom ¹H profile in the presence of a linear magnetic field gradient. By observing the temporal evolution of the phantom NMR profile, an apparent ferric ion diffusion coefficient of 0.50 μm²/ms due to ferric ions diffusion was obtained. In any medical process where the ionizing radiation is used, the dose planning and the dose delivery are the key elements for the patient safety and success of treatment. These points become even more important in modern conformal radio therapy techniques, such as stereotactic radiosurgery, where the delivered dose in a single session of treatment can be an order of magnitude higher than the regular doses of radiotherapy. Several methods have been proposed to obtain the three-dimensional (3-D) dose distribution. Recently, we proposed an alternative method for the 3-D radiation dose mapping, where the ionizing radiation modifies the local relative concentration of Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ in a phantom containing Fricke gel and this variation is associated to the MR image intensity. The smearing of the intensity gradient is proportional to the diffusion coefficient of the Fe³⁺ and Fe²⁺ in the phantom. There are several methods for measurement of the ionic diffusion using NMR, however, they are applicable when the diffusion is not very slow.     

Evaluation of the dose received in the tissues of the neck during quantification of iodine in the thyroid by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

The determination of the iodine content in the thyroid is of great interest for many investigations of this gland. The conventional scintigraphic method, using radionuclides, is efficient but delivers a significant dose to the patient. The X-ray fluorescence spectrometry could give information about the iodine content in the thyroid. The measured signal is obtained after stimulation of the stable iodine contained in the gland by X-rays. The advantage of this technique is the complete absence of radioactive isotope injected into the patient body. By applying this, a decrease in effective dose to the patient should be obtained. In this work, the study of the dose received by a thyroid phantom (surrounded by the different tissues of the neck) was performed. The phantom is made of PLA. The dose is measured in optimised conditions defined for the analytical technique. A total head-neck phantom was also used in order to consider the absorbed dose in each different tissues and organs as spinal cord or eyes. Thermo-luminescence dosimeters were chosen for their small size, their sensitivity and the easy positioning on the surface of the phantom but also inside of it to evaluate dose to internal organs. Those LiF 100 dosimeters have been calibrated within the X-ray beam also used for the analysis of iodine. The repeatability and reproducibility of the method has been evaluated. The influence of parameters as concentration of iodine in the thyroid, distance between the X-ray generator and the neck, thickness of the tissues surrounding the thyroid, has been investigated in terms of modifying parameters of the dose received by different tissues situated in the neck and the head.     

非均匀应变场下相移光栅光谱特性及其实验研究

采用传输矩阵法系统研究轴向非均匀应变场下相移光栅光谱特性,对均匀应变、线性应变、二次应变以及三次应变分布下相移光栅反射谱进行仿真,分析应变分布函数各项系数对反射率、通透带宽、透射窗口对应波长以及光谱形状的影响,并得出规律性结论。基于不同形状悬臂梁组建应变调谐实验装置,利用有限元法计算固定于不同形状悬臂梁表面相移光栅栅区应变分布,结合数值计算结果进行相移光栅应变调谐实验,研究相移光栅栅区轴向在均匀应变场、线性应变场以及二次应变场下相移光栅的反射光谱,实验结果表明在不同应变场下相移光栅反射谱呈现规律性变化,与仿真结果很好吻合。     

Preliminary simulation studies on a cylindrical PEM scanner using GATE

In this paper, we investigate the performance of a cylindrical positron emission mammography (PEM) by simulation, in order to estimate its feasibility before implementation. A well-developed simulation package, Geant4 Application for Tomographic Emission (GATE), is used to simulate the scanner geometry and physical processes. The simulated PEM scanner is composed of 64 blocks axially arranged in 4 rings with an axial field-of-view (AFOV) of 12.8 cm and 16.6 cm in diameter. For each block, there is a 16×16 array of 2 mm×2 mm×15 mm lutetium yttrium oxyorthosilicate (LYSO) crystals. In the simulated measurements, the spatial resolution is at the center of the FOV of 1.73±0.07 mm (radial) and 1.81±0.08 mm (tangential), but of 4.83±0.09 mm (radial) and 4.37±0.07 mm (tangential) while 5 cm off the center. The central point source sensitivity (ACS) is 4.04% (1.50 Mcps/mCi) at an energy window of 350-650 keV. Moreover, the capillary and cylindrical sources are simulated coupled to breast phantoms for the scatter fraction (SF) and Noise Equivalent Count Rate (NECR) test. For a breast phantom with a 350-650 keV energy window, SF may reach the highest 32.95%, while NECR is degraded down to the lowest 255.71 kcps/mCi. Finally, we model a breast phantom embedded with two spheres of different activities. The reconstructed image gives good results despite a bit of difference in image contrast. Further, the image quality will be improved by scatter and random correction. All these test results indicate the feasibility of this PEM system for breast cancer detection.     

Franco-Russian comparison of mixed neutron and gamma radiation field dosimeters at the Silène reactor

This paper gives the results of dosimetry measurements carried out in the Silène reactor at Valduc (France) with neutron and photon dosimeters in mixed neutron and gamma radiation fields, in the frame of a Franco-Russian comparison of dosimeters. Neutron dosimetry was supplied by passive semiconductors, activation detectors and nuclear track detectors. For photon dosimetry, thermoluminescent and passive semiconductor detectors were used. The experiments were located at 3 m from the reactor core, in free air and also at the front and back of a tissue-equivalent phantom. The pulse operating mode of the reactor was used to simulate a criticality accident with solid fissile material, while the free evolution mode simulated a criticality accident in a fissile solution. The photon absorbed dose showed a slight increase on entering the phantom compared to measurements in free air, probably due to backscattering by the phantom. At the rear of the phantom, the neutron kerma was four times lower than on the front, whereas the photon dose was only two times lower. The heterogeneity of dose inside the phantom was far greater for neutrons than for photons.