Program Information
An Examination of Dose in the Buildup and Build-Down Regions
W Tome , H Kuo , J Phillips*, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY
Presentations
SU-E-T-104 (Sunday, July 12, 2015) 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM Room: Exhibit Hall
Purpose:
To examine dose in the buildup and build-down regions and compare measurements made with various models and dosimeters
Methods:
Dose was examined in a 30x30cm² phantom of water-equivalent plastic with 10cm of backscatter for various field sizes. Examination was performed with radiochromic film and optically-stimulated-luminescent-dosimeter (OSLD) chips, and compared against a plane-parallel chamber with a correction factor applied to approximate the response of an extrapolation chamber. For the build-down region, a correction factor to account for table absorption and chamber orientation in the posterior-anterior direction was applied. The measurement depths used for the film were halfway through their sensitive volumes, and a polynomial best fit curve was used to determine the dose to their surfaces. This chamber was also compared with the dose expected in a clinical kernel-based computer model, and a clinical Boltzmann-transport-equation-based (BTE) computer model. The two models were also compared against each other for cases with air gaps in the buildup region.
Results:
Within 3mm, all dosimeters and models agreed with the chamber within 10% for all field sizes. At the entrance surface, film differed in comparison with the chamber from +90% to +15%, the BTE-model by +140 to +3%, and the kernel-based model by +20% to -25%, decreasing with increasing field size. At the exit surface, film differed in comparison with the chamber from -10% to -15%, the BTE-model by -53% to -50%, the kernel-based model by -55% to -57%, mostly independent of field size.
Conclusion:
The largest differences compared with the chamber were found at the surface for all field sizes. Differences decreased with increasing field size and increasing depth in phantom. Air gaps in the buildup region cause dose buildup to occur again post-gap, but the effect decreases with increasing phantom thickness prior to the gap.
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