A procedure to mathematically amend possible thickness disuniformities in gel-layer dosimetry

Abstract

The continuous development of conformal radiotherapies requires a corresponding improvement of dosimetric techniques. Fricke gel-layer dosimetry, coupled with a suitably developed software, has proven to be a reliable technique for 3D absorbed dose distribution verification. The method is based on the evaluation of the light transmitted by gel-layers due to the fact that th optical density difference between irradiated and non irraddiated dosimeters is proportional to the absorbed dose. Measurement are performed by means of a planar illumination source and a computer-controlled CCD camera. Recently, adoption of gel layers with increased superficial dimensions has evidenced a possible thickness disuniformity of layers, thus introducing a new source of measurement inaccuracy. In this work, a method to mathematically amend this possible source of error is proposed. Dose profiles along the central axis of phantoms irradiated with X-ray therapy and Boron Neutron Capture Therapy fields, obtained with and without the application of the proposed correction procedure, were compared with ionization chamber measurements and Monte Carlo simulations, respectively. The obtained results show a good reliability of the proposed procedure. © 2009 IOP Publishing Ltd.