Perturbation correction for alanine dosimeters in different phantom materials in high-energy photon beams.

In modern radiotherapy the verification of complex treatments plans is often performed in inhomogeneous or even anthropomorphic phantoms. For dose verification small detectors are necessary and therefore alanine detectors are most suitable. Though the response of alanine for a wide range of clinical photon energies in water is well know, the knowledge about the influence of the surrounding phantom material on the response of alanine is sparse. Therefore we investigated the influence of twenty different surrounding/phantom materials for alanine dosimeters in clinical photon fields via Monte Carlo simulations. The relative electron density of the used materials was in the range [Formula: see text] up to 1.69, covering almost all materials appearing in inhomogeneous or anthropomorphic phantoms used in radiotherapy. The investigations were performed for three different clinical photon spectra ranging from 6 to 25 MV-X and Co-60 and as a result a perturbation correction [Formula: see text] depending on the environmental material was established. The Monte Carlo simulation show, that there is only a small dependence of [Formula: see text] on the phantom material and the photon energy, which is below ±0.6%. The results confirm the good suitability of alanine detectors for in-vivo dosimetry.

Response of the alanine/ESR dosimeter to radiation from an Ir-192 HDR brachytherapy source.

The response of the alanine dosimeter to radiation from an Ir-192 source with respect to the absorbed dose to water, relative to Co-60 radiation, was determined experimentally as well as by Monte Carlo simulations. The experimental and Monte Carlo results for the response agree well within the limits of uncertainty. The relative response decreases with an increasing distance between the measurement volume and the source from approximately 98% at a 1 cm distance to 96% at 5 cm. The present data are more accurate, but agree well with data published by Schaeken et al (2011 Phys. Med. Biol. 56 6625-34). The decrease of the relative response with an increasing distance that had already been observed by these authors is confirmed. In the appendix, the properties of the alanine dosimeter with respect to volume and sensitivity corrections are investigated. The inhomogeneous distribution of the detection probability that was taken into account for the analysis was determined experimentally.

Monte Carlo study of the depth-dependent fluence perturbation in parallel-plate ionization chambers in electron beams.

PURPOSE: The electron fluence inside a parallel-plate ionization chamber positioned in a water phantom and exposed to a clinical electron beam deviates from the unperturbed fluence in water in absence of the chamber. One reason for the fluence perturbation is the well-known "inscattering effect," whose physical cause is the lack of electron scattering in the gas-filled cavity. Correction factors determined to correct for this effect have long been recommended. However, more recent Monte Carlo calculations have led to some doubt about the range of validity of these corrections. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to reanalyze the development of the fluence perturbation with depth and to review the function of the guard rings. METHODS: Spatially resolved Monte Carlo simulations of the dose profiles within gas-filled cavities with various radii in clinical electron beams have been performed in order to determine the radial variation of the fluence perturbation in a coin-shaped cavity, to study the influences of the radius of the collecting electrode and of the width of the guard ring upon the indicated value of the ionization chamber formed by the cavity, and to investigate the development of the perturbation as a function of the depth in an electron-irradiated phantom. The simulations were performed for a primary electron energy of 6 MeV. RESULTS: The Monte Carlo simulations clearly demonstrated a surprisingly large in- and outward electron transport across the lateral cavity boundary. This results in a strong influence of the depth-dependent development of the electron field in the surrounding medium upon the chamber reading. In the buildup region of the depth-dose curve, the in-out balance of the electron fluence is positive and shows the well-known dose oscillation near the cavity/water boundary. At the depth of the dose maximum the in-out balance is equilibrated, and in the falling part of the depth-dose curve it is negative, as shown here the first time. The influences of both the collecting electrode radius and the width of the guard ring are reflecting the deep radial penetration of the electron transport processes into the gas-filled cavities and the need for appropriate corrections of the chamber reading. New values for these corrections have been established in two forms, one converting the indicated value into the absorbed dose to water in the front plane of the chamber, the other converting it into the absorbed dose to water at the depth of the effective point of measurement of the chamber. In the Appendix, the in-out imbalance of electron transport across the lateral cavity boundary is demonstrated in the approximation of classical small-angle multiple scattering theory. CONCLUSIONS: The in-out electron transport imbalance at the lateral boundaries of parallel-plate chambers in electron beams has been studied with Monte Carlo simulation over a range of depth in water, and new correction factors, covering all depths and implementing the effective point of measurement concept, have been developed.

Difference in the relative response of the alanine dosimeter to megavoltage x-ray and electron beams.

In order to increase the usefulness of the alanine dosimeter as a tool for quality assurance measurements in radiotherapy using MV x-rays, the response with respect to the dose to water needs to be known accurately. This quantity is determined experimentally relative to (60)Co for 4, 6, 8, 10, 15 and 25 MV x-rays from two clinical accelerators. For the calibration, kQ factors for ionization chambers with an uncertainty of 0.31% obtained from calorimetric measurements were used. The results, although not inconsistent with a constant difference in response for all MV x-ray qualities compared to (60)Co, suggest a slow decrease from approximately 0.996 at low energies (4-6 MV) to 0.989 at the highest energy, 25 MV. The relative uncertainty achieved for the relative response varies between 0.35% and 0.41%. The results are confirmed by revised experimental data from the NRC as well as by Monte Carlo simulations using a density correction for crystalline alanine. By comparison with simulated and measured data, also for MeV electrons, it is demonstrated that the weak energy dependence can be explained by a transition of the alanine dosimeter (with increasing MV values) from a photon detector to an electron detector. An in-depth description of the calculation of the results and the corresponding uncertainty components is presented in an appendix for the interested reader. With respect to previous publications, the uncertainty budget had to be modified due to new evidence and to changes of the measurement and analysis method used at PTB for alanine/ESR.