• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.520-529
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• 2007

An efficient method for implementing image reconstruction algorithms for Compton cameras is presented. Since Compton scattering formula establishes a cone surface from which the incident photon must have originated, it is crucial to implement a computationally efficient cone-surface integration method for image reconstruction. In this paper we assume that a cone is made up of a series of ellipses (or circles) stacked up one on top of the other. In order to reduce computational burden for tracing ellipses formed by the intersection of a cone and an image plane, we propose a new method using a series of imaginary planes perpendicular to the cone axis so that each plane contains a circle, not an ellipse. In this case the cone surface integral can be performed by simply accumulating the circles along the cone axis. To reduce the computational cost of tracing circles, only one of the circles in the cone is traced and the rest are determined by using simple trigonometric ratios. For our experiments, we used the three different schemes for tracing ellipses; (i) using the samples generated by the ellipse equation, (ii) using the fixed number of samples along a circle on the imaginary plane, and (iii) using the fixed sampling interval along a circle on the imaginary plane. We then compared performance of the above three methods by applying them to the two reconstruction algorithms - the simple back-projection method and the expectation-maximization algorithm. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed methods (ii) and (iii) using imaginary planes significantly improve reconstruction accuracy as well as computational efficiency.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.168-173
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• 2011

This study investigated characteristics of dose distribution at junction field of X-ray and electron beams according to the method for fabricating the insert block on the electron cone. Insert block were fabricated to the divergency cutout block and the straight cutout block. For the 6 MV X-ray and 10 MeV nominal energy of electron beam, we was adjacent to the light field of X-ray and electron beam at a surface of matrix chamber and measured to beam profile of abutted field in the 0, 1, 2, 3 cm measurement depth. As a result, characteristics of dose distribution at junction field, straight block was existent that over dose area exceed the give dose more than 5% and under dose area with a rapid change in dose distribution. However, divergency block had remarkably decreased the over dose area caused by the lateral scattering effects of decrease, and being existed uniformity dose distribution in the junction field. Therefore, divergency block were the benefits of radiation dose delivery, in order to applied the clinical, measurement of electron beams according to the fabrication method of the block should be considered carefully.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.328-328
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• 2007

Large area matrix-addressed image detectors are a recent technology for x-ray imaging with medical diagnostic and other applications. The imaging properties of x-ray pixel detectors depend on the quantum efficiency of x-rays, the generated signal of each x-ray photon and the distribution of the generated signal between pixels. In a phosphor coated detector the light signal is generated by electrons captured in the phosphor screen. In our study we simulated the lateral spread distributions for phosphor coupled detector by Monte Carlo simulations. Most simulations of such detectors simplify the setup by only taking the conversion layer into account neglecting behind. The Monte Carlo code MCNPX has been used to simulate the complete interaction and subsequent charge transport of x-ray radiation. This has allowed the analysis of charge sharing between pixel elements as an important limited factor of digital x-ray imaging system. The parameters are determined by lateral distribution of x-ray photons and x-ray induced electrons. The primary purpose of this study was to develop a design tool for the evaluation of geometry factor in the phosphor coupled optical imaging detector. In order to evaluate the spatial resolution for different phosphor material, phosphor geometry we have developed a simulation code. The developed code calculates the energy absorption and spatial distribution based on both the signal from the scintillating layer and the signal from direct detection of x-ray in the detector. We show that internal scattering contributes to the so-called spatial resolution drop of the image detector. Results from the simulation of spatial distribution in a phosphor pixel detector are presented. The spatial resolution can be increased by optimizing pixel size and phosphor thickness.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.68-73
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• 2002

In standard teletherapy, a treatment plan is generated with the aid of a treatment planning system, but it is common to perform an independent monitor unit verification calculation (MUVC). In exact analogy, we propose and demonstrate that a simple and accurate MUVC in Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) is possible. We introduce a concept of Modified Clarkson Integration (MCI). In MCI, we exploit the rotational symmetry of scattering to simplify the dose calculation. For dose calculation along a central axis (CAX), we first replace the incident IMRT fluence by an azimuthally averaged fluence. Second, the Clarkson Integration is carried over annular sectors instead of over pie sectors. We wrote a computer code, implementing the MCI technique, in order to perform a MUVC for IMRT purposes. We applied the code to IMRT plans generated by CORVUS. The input to the code consists of CORVUS plan data (e.g., DMLC files, jaw settings, MU for each IMRT field, depth to isocenter for each IMRT field), and the output is dose contribution by individual IMRT field to the isocenter. The code uses measured beam data for Sc, Sp, TPR, (D/Mu)$\_$ref/ and includes effects from MLC transmission, and radiation field offset. On a 266 MHZ desktop computer, the code takes less than 15 sec to calculate a dose. The doses calculated with MCI algorithm agreed within +/- 3% with the doses calculated by CORVUS, which uses a 1cm x 1cm pencil beam in dose calculation. In the present version of MCI, skin contour variations and inhomogeneities were neglected.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.472-478
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• 2015

The patient dose incurred from diagnostic procedures during advanced radiotherapy has become an important issue. Many researchers in medical physics are using computational simulations to calculate complex parameters in experiments. However, extended computation times make it difficult for personal computers to run the conventional Monte Carlo method to simulate radiological images with high-flux photons such as images produced by computed tomography (CT). To minimize the computation time without degrading imaging quality, we applied a deterministic adaptation to the Monte Carlo calculation and verified its effectiveness by simulating CT image reconstruction for an image evaluation phantom (Catphan; Phantom Laboratory, New York NY, USA) and a human-like voxel phantom (KTMAN-2) (Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA). For the deterministic adaptation, the relationship between iteration numbers and the simulations was estimated and the option to simulate scattered radiation was evaluated. The processing times of simulations using the adaptive method were at least 500 times faster than those using a conventional statistical process. In addition, compared with the conventional statistical method, the adaptive method provided images that were more similar to the experimental images, which proved that the adaptive method was highly effective for a simulation that requires a large number of iterations-assuming no radiation scattering in the vicinity of detectors minimized artifacts in the reconstructed image.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.493-499
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• 2016

In this study, C-Arm equipment is being used as we intend to verify the exposure dose on the operator by the scattering rays during the operation of the C-Arm equipment and to provide an effective method of reducing the exposure dose. Exposure dose is less than the Over Tube method utilizes the C-arm equipment Under Tube the scheme, The result showed that the exposure dose on the operator decreased with a thicker shield, and as the operator moved away from the center line. Moreover, as the research time prolongated, the exposure dose increased, and among the three affixed location of the dosimeter, the most exposure dose was measured at gonadal, then followed by chest and thyroid. However, in consideration of the relationship between the operator and the patient, the distance cannot be increased infinitely and the research time cannot be decreased infinitely in order to reduce the exposure dose. Therefore, by changing the thickness of the radiation shield, the exposure dose on the operator was able to be reduced. If you are using a C-Arm equipment discomfort during surgery because the grounds that the procedure is neglected and close to the dose of radiation shielding made can only increase. Because a separate control room cannot be used for the C-Arm equipment due to its characteristic, the exposure dose on the operator needs to be reduced by reinforcing the shield through an appropriate thickness of radiation shield devices, such as apron, etc. during a treatment.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.55-60
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• 1984

The optimum etching condition of allyl diglycol carbonate (CR-39) for detecting the 60 MeV N-ions was determined as $70^{\circ}C$, 20% NaOH for 130min, by considering the variations of track density and diameter. Under these conditions, the maximum detectable track density was $1.7{\times}10^7tr/cm^2$. Track densities were linearly increased with increase of the total charge of the incident 60 MeV N-ions. By considering the scattring of N-ions as the Rutherford elastic scattering of point source, the measured relative probability was well consistent with the calculated value. The detection efficiency of CR-39 was in the range of 54-41% for 60 MeV N-ions of 12 nC-100 nC.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.80-87
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• 2022

Purpose: Proton therapy has different relative biological effectiveness (RBE) compared with X-ray treatment, which is the standard in radiation therapy, and the fixed RBE value of 1.1 is widely used. However, RBE depends on a charged particle's linear energy transfer (LET); therefore, measuring LET is important. We have developed a LET measurement method using the inefficiency characteristic of an EBT3 film on a proton beam's Bragg peak (BP) region. Methods: A Gafchromic EBT3 film was used to measure the proton beam LET. It measured the dose at a 10-cm pristine BP proton beam in water to determine the quenching factor of the EBT3 film as a reference beam condition. Monte Carlo (MC) calculations of dose-averaged LET (LET_d) were used to determine the quenching factor and validation. The dose-averaged LETs at the 12-, 16-, and 20-cm pristine BP proton beam in water were calculated with the quenching factor. Results: Using the passive scattering proton beam nozzle of the National Cancer Center in Korea, the LET_d was measured for each beam range. The quenching factor was determined to be 26.15 with 0.3% uncertainty under the reference beam condition. The dose-averaged LETs were measured for each test beam condition. Conclusions: We developed a method for measuring the proton beam LET using an EBT3 film. This study showed that the magnitude of the quenching effect can be estimated using only one beam range, and the quenching factor determined under the reference condition can be applied to any therapeutic proton beam range.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2012.05a
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• pp.564-567
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• 2012

Optical fibers are going to be used for telecommunication, image fibers, sensors under irradiation in nuclear power plants and various irradiation facilities. Especially, Temperature detection sensors using Raman light scattering, temperature or strain sensors using fiber gratings, magnet-optical sensors using photo-magnetic effect, are already commercialized. However, When fibers are exposed to ionizing radiation, color centers are formed in fibers which reduces their light transmission, and it is limited in applying under radiation environments. In this study, $Co^{60}$ gamma-ray induced optical attenuation on Ge-doped single mode(SM) fiber has been measured. Gamma-ray is irradiated for 4hours at the dose rate of 0.5kGy/hr, 2kGy/hr, 8kGy/hr. Consequently, gamma-ray induced loss based on radiation effects in Ge-doped SM fiber occur precisely. Furthermore, dose rate effect that the higher dose rate in the same total dose, the more increase loss of optical fiber and annealing effect that the higher the loss after irradiation, the more increase the recovery rate of the loss are observed in the fiber. This results plan to make use of bases in the study of the radiation-hardened optical fiber.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.337-343
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• 2014

Purpose : The aim of this study is to evaluate unwanted scattered dose to ovary by scattering and leakage generated from treatment fields of Tomotherapy for childbearing woman with breast cancer. Materials and Methods : The radiation treatments plans for left breast cancer were established using Tomotherapy planning system (Tomotherapy, Inc, USA). They were generated by using helical and direct Tomotherapy methods for comparison. The CT images for the planning were scanned with 2.5 mm slice thickness using anthropomorphic phantom (Alderson-Rando phantom, The Phantom Laboratory, USA). The measurement points for the ovary dose were determined at the points laterally 30 cm apart from mid-point of treatment field of the pelvis. The measurements were repeated five times and averaged using glass dosimeters (1.5 mm diameter and 12 mm of length) equipped with low-energy correction filter. The measures dose values were also converted to Organ Equivalent Dose (OED) by the linear exponential dose-response model. Results : Scattered doses of ovary which were measured based on two methods of Tomo helical and Tomo direct showed average of $64.94{\pm}0.84mGy$ and $37.64{\pm}1.20mGy$ in left ovary part and average of $64.38{\pm}1.85mGy$ and $32.96{\pm}1.11mGy$ in right ovary part. This showed when executing Tomotherapy, measured scattered dose of Tomo Helical method which has relatively greater monitor units (MUs) and longer irradiation time are approximately 1.8 times higher than Tomo direct method. Conclusion : Scattered dose of left and right ovary of childbearing women is lower than ICRP recommended does which is not seriously worried level against the infertility and secondary cancer occurrence. However, as breast cancer occurrence ages become younger in the future and radiation therapy using high-precision image guidance equipment like Tomotherapy is developed, clinical follow-up studies about the ovary dose of childbearing women patients would be more required.