Proposal of a Novel Setup for Linac Monitoring Using a Specifically Designed Plastic Scintillator and a Spectrophotometer

F.  Moreno-Barbosa; R.  Palomino-Merino; E.  Moreno-Barbosa; E. Miguel-Chumacero; O. Martinez-Bravo; B.D.E Celis-Alonso

doi:10.15415/jnp.2016.41018

Authors

F. Moreno-Barbosa Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Avenida San Claudio y 18 Sur, Col. San Manuel, Ciudad Universitaria, Puebla, Pue. C. P: 72570, México.; Departamento de Radioterapia, Hospital del Sur, IMSS, Puebla, Pue. México.
R. Palomino-Merino Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Avenida San Claudio y 18 Sur, Col. San Manuel, Ciudad Universitaria, Puebla, Pue. C. P: 72570, México.
E. Moreno-Barbosa Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Avenida San Claudio y 18 Sur, Col. San Manuel, Ciudad Universitaria, Puebla, Pue. C. P: 72570, México.
E. Miguel-Chumacero Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Avenida San Claudio y 18 Sur, Col. San Manuel, Ciudad Universitaria, Puebla, Pue. C. P: 72570, México.
O. Martinez-Bravo Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Avenida San Claudio y 18 Sur, Col. San Manuel, Ciudad Universitaria, Puebla, Pue. C. P: 72570, México.
B.D.E. Celis-Alonso Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Avenida San Claudio y 18 Sur, Col. San Manuel, Ciudad Universitaria, Puebla, Pue. C. P: 72570, México.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15415/jnp.2016.41018

Keywords:

LINAC, calibration, spectrophotometer, scintillation, radiotherapy

Abstract

In this work we report the design, implementation and results of an alternative monitoring system for a linear accelerator (LINAC) used in medical therapy. The system proposed consist in aslab of scintillator plastic with awavelength shifter fiberoptically coupled to collect the light generated,and a Spectrophotometer Ocean Optics USB4000 as analyzer. The control was made with two computers, one into the therapy room and another, using a VNC (Virtual Network Computer) and Ethernet wire, outside of the room in order to avoid radiation exposure. The LINAC dose range covered was 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 Monitor Units (MU) with 6 and 18 MeV energy photons. The spectrum obtained was compared with the measures of the LINAC ionization camera used to calibrate it. The results obtained allowus to propose this device as an alternative method to monitor the LINAC performance.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Almond P R, Biggs P J, Coursey B M, Hanson W F, SaifulHuq M, Nath R and Rogers W O. AAPM’s TG-51 protocol for clinical reference dosimetry of highenergy photon and electron beams. Medical Physics, 26(9), 1847-1870, (1999). http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.598691

Bentel G C. Radiation Therapy Planning. Mc Graw-Hill Education, (1995).

Etchegoyen A. AMIGA, Auger Muons and Infill for the Ground Array. 30TH International Cosmic Conference, Merida- Mexico, (2007).

Levitt S H ,Purdy J A, Pérez C A and Poortmans P (Eds.). Technical Basis of Radiation Therapy. Springer, (2012). http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11572-1

Pla-Dalmau A, BrossA D and RykalinV V.Extruding Plastic Scintillator at Fermilab.(2003). Nuclear Science Symposium Conference Record, IEEE. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/nssmic.2003.1352007

Technical report series no. 398, Absorbed Dose Determination in External Beam Radiotherapy, International Atomic Energy Agency.