Polymer gel dosimetry technique
Recent advances in radiation therapy techniques, including non-coplanar beams, dynamic wedge, multi-leaf collimator, sterotactic radiosurgery, high-dose-rate brachytherapy using remote afterloading and shielded applicators, and heavy-particle beams such as protons, have created a need for three-dimensional, tissue-equivalent dosimeters, capable of recording time-integrated dose distributions with high spatial resolution and accuracy, and independent of energy and dose rate. All these requirements are met by the recently developed polymer gel dosimetry technique, based on radiation induced formation of polymer microparticles in a tissue-equivalent gel. A permanent image of the dose distribution is encoded in the gel as the distribution of its optical turbidity and of the NMR relaxation rates of the water protons in the gel. Three dimensional dose distributions can be measured using magnetic resonance imaging or optical transmission tomography. The prototype gel, called BANG{trademark}, is now being tested at several hospital sites throughout the U.S. and Europe.
- OSTI ID:
- 401768
- Journal Information:
- Radioactivity and Radiochemistry, Vol. 6, Issue 4; Other Information: PBD: 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Sci—Fri PM: Dosimetry—01: Radiation-induced refraction artefacts in the optical CT readout of polymer gel dosimeters
SU-F-BRA-11: An Experimental Commissioning Test of Brachytherapy MBDCA Dosimetry, Based On a Commercial Radiochromic Gel/optical CT System