EPR-imaging of magnetic field effects on radiation dose distributions around millimeter-size air cavities.

Höfel, Sebastian; Fix, Michael; Zwicker, Felix; Sterpin, Edmond; Drescher, Malte (2019). EPR-imaging of magnetic field effects on radiation dose distributions around millimeter-size air cavities. Physics in medicine and biology, 64(17), p. 175013. Institute of Physics Publishing IOP 10.1088/1361-6560/ab325b

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New hybrid radiotherapy treatment systems combining an MRI-scanner with a source of ionizing radiation are being introduced in the clinic. The strong magnetic fields of MRI considerably affect radiation dose distributions, especially at tissue-air interfaces due to the electron return effect (ERE). Experimental investigation of the ERE within a sub-millimeter thick surface layer is still highly challenging. 
 In the present work, we examine and quantify the magnetic field induced perturbations of dose distributions within a 0.5 mm layer surrounding millimeter-size air cavities by applying Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Imaging (EPRI). 
 Air-filled fused quartz tubes (inner diameter 3 or 4 mm) mimic small air cavities and serve as model systems. The tubes were irradiated inside a PMMA phantom by a 6 MV photon beam. The irradiations were performed in the presence or absence of a transverse, magnetic field providing a magnetic field strength of 1.0 Tesla. The spatial distributions of radiation induced paramagnetic defects in the quartz tubes were subsequently determined by applying field-swept echo-detected EPRI and were then converted to relative dose distributions. 
 The transverse magnetic field leads to considerable local dose enhancements and reductions (up to 35%) with respect to the mean dose within the quartz tubes. The experimentally determined dose distributions are in good quantitative agreement with Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations. 
 The results of this work demonstrate the feasibility of field-swept echo-detected EPRI to measure magnetic field induced perturbations of dose distributions within a sub-millimeter thick surface layer at the dosimeter-air interface.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Haematology, Oncology, Infectious Diseases, Laboratory Medicine and Hospital Pharmacy (DOLS) > Clinic of Radiation Oncology > Medical Radiation Physics

UniBE Contributor:

Fix, Michael

ISSN:

0031-9155

Publisher:

Institute of Physics Publishing IOP

Language:

English

Submitter:

Beatrice Scheidegger

Date Deposited:

29 Aug 2019 14:29

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 15:30

Publisher DOI:

10.1088/1361-6560/ab325b

PubMed ID:

31307018

Uncontrolled Keywords:

Dosimetry EPR Imaging MR-Linac MRgRT Radiotherapy irradiated quartz

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.132690

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/132690

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