SU‐F‐BRE‐15: Verification of Energy Dependence of MAGAT Polymer Gel at Orthovoltage Energies

Abstract

Purpose:Investigation of dose response curves of methacrylic acid‐based “MAGAT” gel at different effective energies to verify an energy dependence of polymer‐gel dosimeters for orthovoltage energy x‐rays.Methods:Six small cylindrical MAGAT gel phantoms were exposed to different dose levels; one phantom was unirradiated for background subtraction. This experiment was repeated for three different effective beam energies.24 h post irradiation the spin‐spin relaxation times (T2) were measured with a 4.7 T Bruker MR scanner at 2 cm depth inside the gel. The T2 values were converted to relaxation rates (R2) and plotted against the respective dose levels corresponding to the different effective energies. The resulting dose response curves were compared for a 250 kVp beam, the 250 kVp beam filtered by 6 cm of water, and a 125 kVp beam.Results:The passage of the 250 kVp beam through water resulted in a half‐value‐layer (HVL) change from 1.05 mm Cu to 1.32 mm Cu at 6 cm depth with a change in effective energy from 81.3 keV to 89.5 keV, respectively. The dose response curves showed a shift to higher relaxation rates for the harder beam. The dose response measurements for the 125 kVp beam (HVL: 3.13 mm Al, effective energy: 33.9 keV) demonstrated even higher relaxation rates than for either of the other beams.Conclusion:The MAGAT dose response curves for three different effective energies demonstrate a complex energy dependence, with an apparent decrease in sensitivity at 89.5 keV effective energy. This energy dependence is consistent with observed discrepancies of depth dose data compared with ion‐chamber data. For future investigations of larger volumes, an energy‐dependent sensitivity function is needed to properly assess 3‐dimensional dose distributions.