Abstract
An imaging system was designed and tested to monitor the positron‐emitting activity distribution created by proton radiotherapy beams during treatments. Decay data were acquired and imaged between beam pulses and after irradiation. The range of a 150 MeV proton beam may be verified after a single beam pulse to within the resolution of the imaging system, which was 1.2 cm. Over 80% of the initial positron‐emitting activity is from while the remainder is primarily with traces of and The dose delivered to the patient may also be monitored by observing the increase in the number of coincidence events detected between successive beam pulses. In some situations the width of the plateau region of a Spread‐Out Bragg Peak may be inferred from the fall of activity at the distal end of the distribution. Radioisotopic imaging may also be performed along the beam path by fitting decay data collected after the treatment is complete. Using this technique, it is shown that variations in elemental composition in inhomogeneous treatment volumes may be identified and used to locate anatomic landmarks. Radioisotopic imaging also reveals that is created well beyond the Bragg peak, apparently by secondary neutrons.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.