Monte Carlo calculation of dose to water of a 106Ru COB-type ophthalmic plaque

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The concave eye applicators with 106Ru/106Rh or 90Sr/90Y beta-ray sources are worldwide used in brachytherapy for treating intraocular tumors. It raises the need to know the exact dose delivered by beta radiation to tumors but measurement of the dose to water (or tissue) is very difficult due to short range of electrons. The Monte Carlo technique provides a powerful tool for calculation of the dose and dose distributions which helps to predict and determine the doses from different shapes of various types of eye applicators more accurately. The Monte Carlo code MCNPX has been used to calculate dose distributions from a COB-type 106Ru/106Rh ophthalmic applicator manufactured by Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG GmbH. This type of a concave eye applicator has a cut-out whose purpose is to protect the eye nerve which makes the dose distribution more complicated. Several calculations have been performed including depth dose along the applicator central axis and various dose distributions. The depth dose along the applicator central axis and the dose distribution on a spherical surface 1 mm above the plaque inner surface have been compared with measurement data provided by the manufacturer. For distances from 0.5 to 4 mm above the surface, the agreement was within 2.5 % and from 5 mm the difference increased from 6 % up to 25 % at 10 mm whereas the uncertainty on manufacturer data is 20 % (2s). It is assumed that the difference is caused by nonuniformly distributed radioactivity over the applicator radioactive layer.