• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.2935-2940
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• 2023

A polystyrene phantom was developed following the guidance of the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) for gamma knife (GK) quality assurance. Its performance was assessed by measuring the absorbed dose rate to water and dose distributions. The phantom was made of polystyrene, which has an electron density (1.0156) similar to that of water. The phantom included one outer phantom and four inner phantoms. Two inner phantoms held PTW T31010 and Exradin A16 ion chambers. One inner phantom held a film in the XY plane of the Leksell coordinate system, and another inner phantom held a film in the YZ or ZX planes. The absorbed dose rate to water and beam profiles of the machine-specific reference (msr) field, namely, the 16 mm collimator field of a GK Perfexion^TM or Icon^TM, were measured at seven GK sites. The measured results were compared to those of an IAEA-recommended solid water (SW) phantom. The radius of the polystyrene phantom was determined to be 7.88 cm by converting the electron density of the plastic, considering a water depth of 8 g/cm². The absorbed dose rates to water measured in both phantoms differed from the treatment planning program by less than 1.1%. Before msr correction, the PTW T31010 dose rates (PTW Freiberg GmbH, New York, NY, USA) in the polystyrene phantom were 0.70 (0.29)% higher on average than those in the SW phantom. The Exradin A16 (Standard Imaging, Middleton, WI, USA) dose rates were 0.76 (0.32)% higher in the polystyrene phantom. After msr correction factors were applied, there were no statistically significant differences in the A16 dose rates measured in the two phantoms; however, the T31010 dose rates were 0.72 (0.29)% higher in the polystyrene phantom. When the full widths at half maximum and penumbras of the msr field were compared, no significant differences between the two phantoms were observed, except for the penumbra in the Y-axis. However, the difference in the penumbra was smaller than variations among different sites. A polystyrene phantom developed for gamma knife dosimetry showed dosimetric performance comparable to that of a commercial SW phantom. In addition to its cost effectiveness, the polystyrene phantom removes air space around the detector. Additional simulations of the msr correction factors of the polystyrene phantom should be performed.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.11-22
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• 1998

The absolute absorbed dose can be determined according to the measurement conditions ; measurement material, detector, energy and calibration protocols. The purpose of this study is to compare the absolute absorbed dose due to the differences of measurement condition and calibration protocols for photon beams. Dosimetric measurements were performed with a farmer type PTW and NEL ionization chambers in water, solid water, and polystyrene phantoms using 6MV photon beams from Siemens linear accelerator. Measurements were made along the central axis of $10{\times}10cm$ field size for constant target to surface distance of 100cm for water, solid water and polystyrene phantom. Theoretical absorbed dose intercomparisons between TG21 and IAEA protocol were performed for various measurement combinations on phantom, ion chamber, and electrometer. There were no significant differences of absorbed dose value between TG2l and IAEA protocol. The differences between two protocols are within $1\%\;while\;the\;average\;value\;of\;IAEA\;protocol\;was\;0.5\%$ smaller than TG2l protocol. For the purpose of comparison, all the relative absorbed dose were nomalized to NEL ion chamber with Keithley electrometer and water phantom, The average differences are within $1\%,\;but\;individual\;discrepancies\;are\;in\;the\;range\;of\;-2.5\%\;to\;1.2\%$ depending upon the choice of measurement combination. The largest discrepancy of $-25\%$ was observed when NEL ion chamber with Keithley electrometer is used in solid water phantom. The main cause for this discrepancy is due to the use of same parameters of stopping power, absorption coefficient, etc. as used in water phantom. It should be mentioned that the solid water phantom is not recommended for absolute dose calibration as the alternative of water, since absorbed dose show some dependency on phantom material other than water. In conclusion, the trend of variation was not much dependent on calibration protocol. However, It shows that absorbed dose could be affected by phantom material other than water.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.399-404
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• 2011

A LEGO-type multi-purpose dosimetry phantom was developed for intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), which requires various types of challenging dosimetry. Polystyrene, polyethylene, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and polyurethane foam (PU-F) were selected to represent muscle, fat, bone, and lung tissue, respectively, after considering the relevant mass densities, elemental compositions, effective atomic numbers, and photon interaction coefficients. The phantom, which is composed of numerous small pieces that are similar to LEGO blocks, provides dose and dose distribution measurements in homogeneous and heterogeneous media. The phantom includes dosimeter holders for several types of dosimeters that are frequently used in IMRT dosimetry. An ion chamber and a diode detector were used to test dosimetry in heterogeneous media under radiation fields of various sizes. The data that were measured using these dosimeters were in disagreement when the field sizes were smaller than $1.5{\times}1.5\;cm^2$ for polystyrene and PTFE, or smaller than $3{\times}3\;cm^2$ for an air cavity. The discrepancy was as large as 41% for the air cavity when the field size was $0.7{\times}0.7\;cm^2$, highlighting one of the challenges of IMRT small field dosimetry. The LEGO-type phantom is also very useful for two-dimensional dosimetry analysis, which elucidates the electronic dis-equilibrium phenomena on or near the heterogeneity boundaries.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.225-232
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• 1994

Purpose : This study was to obtain the basic dosimetric data using the 10 MV X-ray for the total body irradiation. Materials and Methods : A linear accelerator photon beam is planned to be used as a radiation source for total body irradiation (TBI) in Chonnam University Hospital. The planned distance from the target to the midplane of a patient is 360cm and the maximum geometric field size is 144cm x 144cm. Polystyrene phantom sized $30{\times}30{\times}30.2cm^3$ and consisted of several sheets with various thickness, and a parallel plate ionization chamber were used to measure surface dose and percent depth dose (PDD) at 345cm SSD, and dose profiles. To evaluate whether a beam modifier is necessary for TBI, dosimetry in build up region was made first with no modifier and next with an 1cm thick acryl plate 20cm far from the polystyrene phantom surface. For a fixed sourec-chamber distance, output factors were measured for various depth. Results : As any beam modifier was not on the way of radiation of 10MV X-ray, the $d_{max}$ and surface dose was 1.8cm and $61\%$, respectively, for 345cm SSD. When an 1cm thick acryl plate was put 20cm far from polystyrene phantom for the SSD, the $d_{max}$ and surface dose were 0.8cm and $94\%$, respectively. With acryl as a beam spoiler, the PDD at 10cm depth was $78.4\%$ and exit dose was a little higher than expected dose at interface of exit surface. For two-opposing fields for a 30cm phantom thick phantom, the surface dose and maximum dose relative to mid-depth dose in our experiments were $102.5\%$ and $106.3\%$, respectively. The off-axis distance of that point of $95\%$ of beam axis dose were 70cm on principal axis and 80cm on diagonal axis. Conclusion: 1. To increase surface dose for TBI by 10MV X-ray at 360cm SAD, 1cm thick acrylic spoiler was sufficient when distance from phantom surface to spoiler was 20cm. 2. At 345cm SSD, 10MV X-ray beam of full field produced a satisfiable dose uniformity for TBI within $7\%$ in the phantom of 30cm thickness by two-opposing irradiation technique. 3. The uniform dose distribution region was 67cm on principal axis of the beam and 80cm on diagonal axis from beam axis. 4. The output factors at mid-point of various thickness revealed linear relation with depth, and it could be applicable to practical TBI.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.83-87
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• 2008

The purpose of this study is to get the correction factor to correct the measured values of the absolute absorbed dose proportional to the water equivalent depth. The measurement conditions in white polystyrene and water phantoms for 10MV X-ray beam are that the distance of source to center of ionization chamber is fixed at SAD 100 cm, the field sizes are $10{\times}10\;cm^2$, $20{\times}20\;cm^2$ and the depths are 2.3 cm, 5 cm, 10 cm, and 15 cm, respectively. The mean value of ionization was obtained by three times measurements in each field size and depths after delivering 100 MU from linear accelerator with output of 400 MU per min to the two phantoms. The correction factor and the percentage deviation in TPR were obtained below 0.97% and 0.53%, respectively. Therefore, we can get high accuracy by using the correction factor and the percentage deviation in TPR in measuring the absolute absorbed dose with the solid water equivalent phantom.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2017

Background: The purpose of this study is to assign an appropriate density to virtual phantom for 2D diode array detector with different dose calculation algorithms to guarantee the accuracy of patient-specific QA. Materials and Methods: Ten VMAT plans with 6 MV photon beam and ten VMAT plans with 15 MV photon beam were selected retrospectively. The computed tomography (CT) images of MapCHECK2 with MapPHAN were acquired to design the virtual phantom images. For all plans, dose distributions were calculated for the virtual phantoms with four different materials by AAA and AXB algorithms. The four materials were polystyrene, 455 HU, Jursinic phantom, and PVC. Passing rates for several gamma criteria were calculated by comparing the measured dose distribution with calculated dose distributions of four materials. Results and Discussion: For validation of AXB modeling in clinic, the mean percentages of agreement in the cases of dose difference criteria of 1.0% and 2.0% for 6 MV were $97.2%{\pm}2.3%$, and $99.4%{\pm}1.1%$, respectively while those for 15 MV were $98.5%{\pm}0.85%$ and $99.8%{\pm}0.2%$, respectively. In the case of 2%/2 mm, all mean passing rates were more than 96.0% and 97.2% for 6 MV and 15 MV, respectively, regardless of the virtual phantoms of different materials and dose calculation algorithms. The passing rates in all criteria slightly increased for AXB as well as AAA when using 455 HU rather than polystyrene. Conclusion: The virtual phantom which had a 455 HU values showed high passing rates for all gamma criteria. To guarantee the accuracy of patent-specific VMAT QA, each institution should fine-tune the mass density or HU values of this device.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.87-102
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• 1997

The absolute absorbed dose can be determined according to the measurement conditions; measurement material, detector, energy and calibration protocols. The purpose of this study is to compare the absolute absorbed dose due to the differences of measurement condition and calibration protocols for photon beams. Dosimetric measurements were performed with a farmer type PTW and NEL ionization chambers in water, solid water, and polystyrene phantoms using 6MV photon beams from Siemens linear accelerator. Measurements were made along the central axis of 10cm $\times$ 10cm field size for constant target to surface distance of 100cm for water, solid water and polystyrene phantom. Theoretical absorbed dose intercomparisons between TG21 and IAEA protocol were performed for various measurement combinations of phantom, ion chamber, and electrometer. There were no significant differences of absorbed dose value between TG21 and IAEA protocol. The differences between two protocols are within 1％ while the average value of IAEA protocol was 0.5％ smaller than TG21 protocol. For the purpose of comparison, all the relative absorbed dose were nomalized to NEL ion chamber with Keithley electrometer and water phantom, The average differences are within 1％, but individual discrepancies are in the range of - 2.5％ to 1.2％ depending upon the choice of measurement combination. The largest discrepancy of - 2.5％ was observed when NEL ion chamber with Keithley electrometer is used in solid water phantom. The main cause for this discrepancy is due to the use of same parameters of stopping power, absorption coeficient, etc. as used in water phantom. It should be mentioned that the solid water phantom is not recommended for absolute dose calibration as the alternative of water, since absorbed dose show some dependency on phantom material other than water. In conclusion, the trend of variation was not much dependent on calibration protocol. However, it shows that absorbed dose could be affected by phantom material other than water.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.19-25
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• 1984

There is not yet an universal method of electron dosimetry. The Authors measured dose distributions of the electron beams from Clinac-18 by means of silicon detector connected to X-Y recorder, and compared them in water phantom with dose distributions measured by film and ion chamber, both inserted in polystyrene phantom. The results are as followings, 1. Dose in build-up region increased with the field size for all energy, and depth dose profiles of $6{\sim}12MeV$ beam under the depth of maximum dose were independent of field size, but those of 15 and 18 MeV beam were dependent on the field size. 2. The widths of penumbra by semiconductor detector were narrower than those by film for same energy beam. 3. Depth dose profiles by three different dosimeter did not coincide each other. In the build-up region, dose by semiconductor detector was lower than that by any other dosimeter.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.40-45
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• 1997

When therapeutic irradiation is indicated for the orbital tumors, the greatest concern is the risk of radiation-induced cataract. Conjunctival lymphoma is one of the good examples. We would like to report the procedure of the lens shielding device(L.S.D) and the result of irradiated dose to the lens. L.S.D. consistes of two parts : load alloy to attenuate electron beam, and dental acryl which completely covers the lead alloy to avoid discomfort of cornea from contacting directly with cerrobend and side scattering by cerrobend. And for easy location and removal, side bars were made on each side. Radiation doses were meaured with TLD(TLD 3500 Hawshaw). Markus chamber in a polystyrene phantom. The phantom was irradiated with 9MeV electron beams from Clinac 2100C with $6{\times}6cm$ electron cone. The relative dose at 6mm depth where the lens is located was $4.2\%$ with TLD and $5.1\%$ with Markus chamber clinically when 2600 cGy are irradiated to the eyeball, the mapinary dose to the lens will be 109 cGy or 132 cGy, which will significently reduce the cataract.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.41-45
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• 1983

To obtain 7 MeV electron beam which is suitable for treatment of the chest wall after radical of modified radical mastectomy, the authors reduced the energy of electron beam by means by Lucite plate inserted in the beam. To determine the proper thickness of the Lucite plate necessary to reduce the energy of 9 MeV electron beam to 6 MeV, dosimetry was made by using a parallel plate ionization chamber in polystyrene phantom. Separation between two adjacent fields, 7 MeV for chest wall and 12 MeV for internal mammary region, was studied by means of film dosimetry in both polytyrene phantom and Humanoid phantom. The results were as follows. 1. The average energy of 9 MeV electron beam transmitted through the Lucite plate was reduced. Reduction was proportional to the thickness of the Lucite plate in the rate of 1.7 MeV/cm. 2. The proper thickness of the Lucite plate necessary to obtain 6 MeV electron beam from 9 MeV was 1.2 cm. 3. 7 MeV electron beam, 80% dose at 2cm depth, is adequate for treatment of the chest wall. 4. Proper separation between two adjacent electron fields, 7 MeV and 12 MeV, was 5mm on both flat surface and sloping surface to produce uniform dose distribution.