Simple methods for the correction of T2 maps of phantoms.

Two simple methodologies for correcting the errors in T2 maps for phantom measurements are presented; they both give accurate MRI maps with a low coefficient of variation (CV). The rate correction method is based on an equation relating the true T2 (T2,t) and that determined experimentally (T2,exp) for homogenous phantoms. The response matrix method is a phenomenological analysis of the difference between T2,exp and T2,t, from which correction factors are computed for a range of T2 values and for every pixel of an image. The factors were obtained from phantoms filled with a homogeneous gelatin gel and having different T2,t values. The CV in homogeneous phantom measurements were reduced from 2.5-4.0% to approximately 0.6-2.0% for T2,t values ranging from 180-600 ms. Examples are shown for the correction of T2 maps of phantoms filled with polymer dosimeter gel irradiated with photon beams from a linear accelerator. The methodologies presented can easily be implemented on a clinical MRI scanner.

Dose resolution in radiotherapy polymer gel dosimetry: effect of echo spacing in MRI pulse sequence.

In polymer gel dosimetry using magnetic resonance imaging, the uncertainty in absorbed dose is dependent on the experimental determination of T2. The concept of dose resolution (Dpdelta) of polymer gel dosimeters is developed and applied to the uncertainty in dose related to the uncertainty in T2 from a range of T4 encountered in polymer gel dosimetry. Dpdelta is defined as the minimal separation between two absorbed doses such that they may be distinguished with a given level of confidence, p. The minimum detectable dose (MDD) is Dpdelta as the dose approaches zero. Dpdelta and the minimum detectable dose both give a quantifiable indication of the likely practical limitations and usefulness of the dosimeter. Dpdelta of a polyacrylamide polymer gel dosimeter is presented for customized 32-echo and standard multiple-spin-echo sequences on a clinical MRI scanner. In evaluating uncertainties in T2, a parameter of particular significance in the pulse sequence is the echo spacing (ES). For optimal results, ES should be selected to minimize Dpdelta over a range of doses of interest in polymer gel dosimetry.