• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.82-88
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• 2005

In this study, the physical compensator made with the high density material, Cerrobend, and the electronic compensator realized by the movement of a dynamic multileaf collimator were analyzed in order to verify the properness of a design function in the commercial RTP (radiation treatment planning) system, Eclipse. The CT images of a phantom composed of the regions of five different thickness were acquired and the proper compensator which can make homogeneous dose distribution at the reference depth was designed in the RTP. The frame for the casting of Cerrobend compensator was made with a computerized automatic styrofoam cutting device and the Millennium MLC-120 was used for the electronic compensator. All the dose values and isodose distributions were measured with a radiographic EDR2 film. The deviation of a dose distribution was $\pm0.99 cGy\;and\;\pm1.82cGy$ in each case of a Cerrobend compensator and a electronic compensator compared with a $\pm13.93 cGy$ deviation in an open beam condition. Which showed the proper function of the designed compensators in the view point of a homogeneous dose distribution. When the absolute dose value was analyzed, the Cerrobend compensator showed a $+3.83\%$ error and the electronic compensator showed a $-4.37\%$ error in comparison with a dose value which was calculated in the RTP. These errors can be admtted as an reasonable results that approve the accuracy of the compensator design in the RTP considering the error in the process of the manufacturing of the Cerrobend compensator and the limitation of a film in the absolute dosimetry.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.185-191
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• 2001

The virtual compensator which are realized using a multileaf collimator(MLC) and three-dimensional radiation therapy Planning(3D RTP) system was designed. And the feasibility study of the virtual compensator was done to verify that it can do the function of the conventional compensator properly. As a model for the design of compensator, styrofoam phantom and mini water phantom were prepared to simulate the missing tissue area and the calculated dose distribution was produced through the 3D RTP system. The fluence maps which are basic materials for the design of virtual compensator were produced based on the dose distribution and the MLC leaf sequence file was made for the realization of the produced fluence map. Ma's algorithm were applied to design the MLC leaf sequence and all the design tools were programmed with IDL5.4. To verify the feasibility of the designed virtual compensator, the results of irradiation with or without a virtual compensator were analyzed by comparing the irradiated films inserted into the mini water phantom. The higher dose area produced due to the missing tissue was removed and intended regular dose distribution was achieved when the virtual compensator was applied.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.82-93
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• 2003

Purpose : To reduce the Irradiation dose to the lungs and heart in the case of chest wail irradiation using an oppositional electron beam, we used an Individualized custom bolus, which was precisely designed to compensate for the differences In chest wall thickness. The benefits were evaluated by comparing the normal tissue complication probablilties (NTCPS) and dose statistics both with and without boluses. Materials and Methods : Boluses were made, and their effects evaluated in ten patients treated using the reverse hockey-stick technique. The electron beam energy was determined so as to administer 80% of the irradiation prescription dose to the deepest lung-chest wall border, which was usually located at the internal mammary lymph node chain. An individualized custom bolus was prepared to compensate for a chest wall thinner than the prescription depth by meticulously measuring the chest wall thickness at 1 emf intervals on the planning CT Images. A second planning CT was obtained overlying the individuailzed custom bolus for each patient's chest wall. 3-D treatment planning was peformed using ADAC-Pinnacle$^{3}$ for all patients with and without bolus. NTCPS based on 'the Lyman-Kutcher' model were analyzed and the mean, maximum, minimum doses, V$_{50}$ and V$_{95}$ for 4he heari and lungs were computed. Results .The average NTCPS in the ipsliateral lung showed a statistically significant reduction (p<0.01), from 80.2${\pm}$3.43% to 47.7${\pm}$4.61%, with the use of the individualized custom boluses. The mean lung irradiation dose to the ipsilateral iung was also significantly reduced by about 430 cGy, Trom 2757 cGy to 2,327 cGy (p<0.01). The V$_{50}$ and V$_{95}$ in the ipsilateral lung markedly decreased from the averages of 54.5 and 17.4% to 45.3 and 11.0%, respectively. The V$_{50}$ and V$_{95}$ In the heart also decreased from the averages of 16.8 and 6.1% to 9.8% and 2.2%, respectively. The NTCP In the contralateral lung and the heart were 0%, even for the cases with no bolus because of the small effective mean radiation volume values of 4.4 and 7.1%, respectively Conclusion : The use of an Individualized custom bolus in the radiotherapy of postrnastectorny chest wall reduced the NTCP of the ipsilateral lung by about 24.5 to 40.5%, which can improve the complication free cure probability of breast cancer patients.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.3-17
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• 1996

Dose compensators have been widely used in radiotherapy fields. But, few reliable verification methods have been reported. We have developed the verification method for the evaluation of the effect of dose compensator using exit beam dose profile. The exit beam dose profiles were measured with and without dose compensator. For this purpose X-Omat V films and lead screened cassettes are used and dose distibutions are compared. Phantom data are collected using CT simulator(Picker, AcQ Sim) and compensator information can be obtained from Render Plan 3-D planning System. Aluminum Compensators are generated by computer controlled milling machine. The real dose distribution in the phantom and the exit beam dose profile can be obtained simultaneously with the films in the phantom and the opposite site of the beam. Dose compensations effects for oblique beam, parallel opposing beam and inhomogeneous human phantom can be obtained using above tools. And we could simate those effects with exit beam dose profile using the method that we have developed in this study.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.147-153
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• 1992

It is ideal thing to compensate tissue deficit without skin contamination in curvatured irradiation field of high energy photon beam. The 3-dimensional compensating technique utilizing tissue equivalent materials to ensure an adequate dose distribution and skin sparing effect was described. This compensator was made of paraffin ($70\%$) and stearin wax ($30\%$) compound. The parameters for evaluation of the effect on skin dose in application of compensator were considered in the size of the field, the thickness of the compensator and the source-to-axis distance. The results are as follows; the skin doses were not changed even though application of the compensator, but depended on the field size and the source-to-axis distance, and the skin doses were only slightly changed within $1\%$ relative errors as increasing the thickness of the compensator in these experiments.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.17-21
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• 2015

Total body irradiation(TBI) and chemotherapy are the pre-treatment method of a stem cell transplantations of the childhood leukemia. in this study, we evaluate the Quantitative human body dose prior to the treatment. The MCNPX simulation program evaluated by changing the material of the tissue compensators with imitation material of pediatric exposure in a virtual space. As a result, first, the average skin dose with the material of the tissue compensators of Plexiglass tissue compensators is 74.60 mGy/min, Al is 73.96 mGy/min, Cu is 72.26 mGy/min and Pb 67.90 mGy/min respectively. Second, regardless of the tissue compensators material that organ dose were thyroid, gentile, digestive system, brain, lungs, kidneys higher in order. Finally, the ideal distance between body compensator and the patient were 50 cm aparting each other. In conclusion, tissue compensators Al, Cu, Pb are able to replace of the currently used in Plexiglass materials.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.233-241
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• 1994

Purpose : This study was performed to verify dose distribution with the tissue compensator which is used for uniform dose distribution in total body irradiation(TBI). Materials and methods : The compensators were made of lead(0.8mm thickness) and aluminum(1mm or 5mm thickness) plates. The humanoid phantom of adult size was made of paraffin as a real treatment position for bilateral total body technique. The humanoid phantom was set at 360cm of source-axis distance(SAD) and irradiated with geographical field size(FS) $144{\times}144cm^2(40{\times}40cm^2$ at SAD 100cm) which covered the entire phantom. Irradiation was done with 10MV X-ray(CLINAC 1800, Varian Co., USA) of linear accelerator set at Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Chonnam University Hospital. The midline absorbed dose was checked at the various regions such as head, mouth, mid-neck, sternal notch, mid-mediastinum, xiphoid, umbilicus, pelvis, knee and ankle with or without compensator, respectively. We used exposure/exposure rate meter(model 192, Capintec Inc., USA) with ionization chamber(PR 05) for dosimetry, For the dosimetry of thorax region TLD rods of $1x1x6mm^3$ in volume(LiF, Harshaw Co., Netherland) was used at the commercially available humanoid phantom. Results : The absorbed dose of each point without tissue compensator revealed significant difference(from $-11.8\%\;to\;21.1\%$) compared with the umbilicus dose which is a dose prescription point in TBI. The absorbed dose without compensator at sternal notch including shoulder was $11.8\%$ less than the dose of umbilicus. With lead compensator the absorbed doses ranged from $+1.3\%\;to\;-5.3\%$ except mid-neck which revealed over-compensation($-7.9\%$). In case of aluminum compensator the absorbed doses were measured with less difference(from $-2.6{\%}\;to\;5.3\%$) compared with umbilicus dose. Conclusion : Both of lead and aluminum compensators applied to the skull or lower leg revealed a good compensation effect. It was recognized that boost irradiation or choosing reference point of dose prescription at sternal notch according to the lateral thickness of patient in TBI should be considered.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.249-255
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• 2014

Total body irradiation use one of the pre-treatment as hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the treatment of leukemia. According to the study of Korean network for organ sharing 2013 report, continue to increase the number of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. however, the current dose evaluation fall short before treatment. So purpose of this study is Surface dose and deep organ dose evaluation and then find the most ideal conditions when change of the thickness on tissue compensator in TBI. Result, surface dose in 4 MV, SSD 280 cm, compensators thickness 0.5 cm, was measured the highest dose 5.84 mGy/min. And the ideal dose showed when compensator thickness less than 1 cm.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.269-278
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• 2012

Aquaplast Thermoplastic (AT) is a tissue-equivalent oral compensator that has been developed to improve dose uniformity at the common boundary and around the treated area during radiotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer. In order to assess the usefulness of AT, the degree of improvement in dose distribution and physical properties were compared to those of oral compensators made using paraffin, alginate, and putty, which are materials conventionally used in dental imprinting. To assess the physical properties, strength evaluations (compression and drop evaluations) and natural deformation evaluations (volume change over time) were performed; a Gafchromic EBT2 film and a glass dosimeter inserted into a developed phantom for dose verification were used to measure the common boundary dose and the beam profile to assess the dose delivery. When the natural deformation of the oral compensators was assessed over a two-month period, alginate exhibited a maximum of 80% change in volume from moisture evaporation, while the remaining tissue-equivalent properties, including those of AT, showed a change in volume that was less than 3%. In a free-fall test at a height of 1.5 m (repeated 5 times as a strength evaluation), paraffin was easily damaged by the impact, but AT exhibited no damage from the fall. In compressive strength testing, AT was not destroyed even at 8 times the force needed for paraffin. In dose verification using a glass dosimeter, the results showed that in a single test, the tissue-equivalent (about 80 Hounsfield Units [HU]) AT delivered about 4.9% lower surface dose in terms of delivery of an output coefficient (monitor unit), which was 4% lower than putty and exhibited a value of about 1,000 HU or higher during a dose delivery of the same formulation. In addition, when the incident direction of the beam was used as a reference, the uniformity of the dose, as assessed from the beam profile at the boundary after passing through the oral compensators, was 11.41, 3.98, and 4.30 for air, AT, and putty, respectively. The AT oral compensator had a higher strength and lower probability of material transformation than the oral compensators conventionally used as a tissue-equivalent material, and a uniform dose distribution was successfully formed at the boundary and surrounding area including the mouth. It was also possible to deliver a uniformly formulated dose and reduce the skin dose delivery.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.24-33
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• 2002

Purpose : In order to improve dose homogeneity and to reduce acute toxicity in tangential whole breast radiotherapy, we evaluated two treatment techniques using multiple static fields or universal compensators. Materials and Methods : 1) Multistatic field technique : Using a three dimensional radiation treatment planning system, Adac Pinnacle 4.0, we accomplished a conventional wedged tangential plan. Examining the isodose distributions, a third field which blocked overdose regions was designed and an opposing field was created by using an automatic function of RTPS. Weighting of the beams was tuned until an ideal dose distribution was obtained. Another pair of beams were added when the dose homogeneity was not satisfactory. 2) Universal compensator technique : The breast shapes and sizes were obtained from the CT images of 20 patients who received whole breast radiation therapy at our institution. The data obtained were averaged and a pair of universal physical compensators were designed for the averaged data. DII (Dose Inhomogeneity Index : percentage volume of PTV outside $95\~105\%$ of the prescribed dose) $D_{max}$ (the maximum point dose in the PTV) and isodose distributions for each technique were compared. Results : The multistatic field technique was found to be superior to the conventional technique, reducing the mean value of DII by $14.6\%$ (p value<0.000) and the $D_{max}$ by $4.7\%$ (p value<0.000). The universal compensator was not significantly superior to the conventional technique since it decreased $D_{max}$ by $0.3\%$ (p value=0.867) and reduced DII by $3.7\%$ (p value=0.260). However, it decreased the value of DII by maximum $18\%$ when patients' breast shapes fitted in with the compensator geometry. Conclusion : The multistatic field technique is effective for improving dose homogeneity for whole breast radiation therapy and is applicable to all patients, whereas the use of universal compensators is effective only in patients whose breast shapes fit inwith the universal compensator geometry, and thus has limited applicability.