PAGAT gel dosimeters for dose distribution measurements in the vicinity of high-density implants: A preliminary study

A Asena,S B Crowe,J V Trapp,T Kairn,S T Smith

doi:10.1088/1742-6596/573/1/012061

Abstract

This work examined the suitability of the PAGAT gel dosimeter for use in dose distribution measurements around high-density implants. An assessment of the gels reactivity with various metals was performed and no corrosive effects were observed. An artefact reduction technique was also investigated in order to minimise scattering of the laser light in the optical CT scans. The potential for attenuation and backscatter measurements using this gel dosimeter were examined for a temporary tissue expander's internal magnetic port.

Highlights

The success or failure of radiation therapy treatments is largely dependent on the ability to deliver the prescribed dose to the patient within a narrow tolerance
2.2 Manufacturing the PAGAT gel As per the recipe recommended by Venning et al [3] and Khoei et al.[15], the PAGAT polymer gel formulation by % mass consisted of 4.5% N,N'-methylenbis-acrylamide, 4.5% acrylamide (AA), 5% gelatine, 7 mM tetrakis phosphonium chloride (THPC), 0.01 mM hydroquinone (HQ) and 86% HPLC (Water)
No corrosive effects were observed for the various metal objects that were submerged in the PAGAT gel formulation

Summary

Introduction

The success or failure of radiation therapy treatments is largely dependent on the ability to deliver the prescribed dose to the patient within a narrow tolerance. The human body consists of many components that vary in density which have been shown to cause complications in treatment planning and delivery [1, 2]. These can include naturally occurring internal inhomogeneities, as well as man-made biomaterials such as implants and prostheses. This work examines the feasibility of using the PAGAT gel dosimeter [3] for dose distribution measurements around highdensity implants. We present an examination of the suitability of using PAGAT gel dosimeters for dose distribution measurements in the vicinity of a temporary tissue expander’s internal magnetic port.

Methodology

Results and Discussion

Conclusions