4D in vivo dosimetry for a FLASH electron beam using radiation-induced acoustic imaging

Abstract

Objective. The primary goal of this research is to demonstrate the feasibility of radiation-induced acoustic imaging (RAI) as a volumetric dosimetry tool for ultra-high dose rate FLASH electron radiotherapy (FLASH-RT) in real time. This technology aims to improve patient outcomes by accurate measurements of in vivo dose delivery to target tumor volumes. Approach. The study utilized the FLASH-capable eRT6 LINAC to deliver electron beams under various doses (1.2 Gy pulse−1 to 4.95 Gy pulse−1) and instantaneous dose rates (1.55 × 105 Gy s−1 to 2.75 × 106 Gy s−1), for imaging the beam in water and in a rabbit cadaver with RAI. A custom 256-element matrix ultrasound array was employed for real-time, volumetric (4D) imaging of individual pulses. This allowed for the exploration of dose linearity by varying the dose per pulse and analyzing the results through signal processing and image reconstruction in RAI. Main Results. By varying the dose per pulse through changes in source-to-surface distance, a direct correlation was established between the peak-to-peak amplitudes of pressure waves captured by the RAI system and the radiochromic film dose measurements. This correlation demonstrated dose rate linearity, including in the FLASH regime, without any saturation even at an instantaneous dose rate up to 2.75 × 106 Gy s−1. Further, the use of the 2D matrix array enabled 4D tracking of FLASH electron beam dose distributions on animal tissue for the first time. Significance. This research successfully shows that 4D in vivo dosimetry is feasible during FLASH-RT using a RAI system. It allows for precise spatial (∼mm) and temporal (25 frames s−1) monitoring of individual FLASH beamlets during delivery. This advancement is crucial for the clinical translation of FLASH-RT as enhancing the accuracy of dose delivery to the target volume the safety and efficacy of radiotherapeutic procedures will be improved.