Optically stimulated luminescent dosimeters stable response to dose after repeated bleaching

Chromatic bleaching and fractionation effects on optically stimulated luminescent dosimeter reuse

BACKGROUND

Optically stimulated luminescent dosimeters (OSLDs) can be bleached and reused, but questions remain about the effects of repeated bleaching and fractionation schedules on OSLD performance.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to investigate how light sources with different wavelengths and different fractionation schemes affect the performance of reused OSLDs.

METHODS

OSLDs (N = 240) were irradiated on a cobalt-60 beam in different step sizes until they reached an accumulated dose of 50 Gy. Between irradiations they were bleached using light sources of different wavelengths: the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core (IROC) bleaching system (our control); monochromatic red, green, yellow, and blue lights; and a polychromatic white light. Sensitivity and linearity-based correction factors were determined as a function of dose step-size. The rate of signal removal from different light sources was characterized by sampling these OSLDs at various time points during their bleaching process. Relative doses were calculated according to the American Association of Physicists in Medicine Task Group-191. Signal repopulation was investigated by irradiating OSLDs (N = 300) to various delivered doses of 2, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 Gy in a single fraction, bleached with one of the colors, and read over time. Fractionation effects were evaluated by irradiating OSLDs up to 30 Gy in different size steps. After reading, the OSLDs were bleached following IROC protocol. OSLDs (N = 40) received irradiations in 5, 10, 15, 30 Gy fractions until they had an accumulated dose of 30 Gy; The sensitivity response of these OSLDs was compared with reference OSLDs that had no accumulated dose.

RESULTS

Light sources with polychromatic spectrums (IROC and white) bleached OSLDs faster than did sources with monochromatic spectra. Polychromatic light sources (white light and IROC system) provided the greatest dose stability for OSLDs that had larger amounts of accumulated dose. Signal repopulation was related to the choice of bleaching light source, timing of bleaching, and amount of accumulated dose. Changes to relative dosimetry were more pronounced in OSLDs that received larger fractions. At 5-Gy fractions and above, all OSLDs had heightened sensitivity, with OSLDs exposed to 30-Gy fractions being 6.4% more sensitive than reference dosimeters.

CONCLUSIONS

The choice of bleaching light plays a role in how fast an OSLD is bleached and how much accumulated dose an OSLD can be exposed to while maintaining stable signal sensitivity. We have expanded upon investigations into signal repopulation to show that bleaching light plays a role in the migration of deep traps to dosimetric traps after bleaching. Our research concludes that the bleaching light source and fractionation need to be considered when reusing OSLD.

Addressing challenges in diagnostic X-ray dosimetry: uncertainties and corrections for Al2O3:C-based optically stimulated luminescent dosimeters

The use of Al2O3:C-based optically stimulated luminescent dosimeters (OSLDs) in diagnostic X-ray is a challenge because of their energy dependence (ED) and variability of element sensitivity factors (ESFs). This study aims to develop a method to determine ED and ESFs of Landauer nanoDot™ OSLDs for clinical X-ray and investigate the uncertainties associated with ESF and ED correction factors. An area of 2 × 2 cm2 at the central axis of the X-ray field was used to establish the ESFs. A total of 80 OSLDs were categorized into "controlled" (n = 40) and "less-controlled" groups (n = 40). The ESFs of the OSLDs were determined using an 80 kVp X-ray beam quality in free-air geometry. The OSLDs were cross-calibrated with an ion chamber to establish the average calibration coefficient and ESFs. The OSLDs were then irradiated at tube potentials ranging from 50 to 150 kVp to determine their ED. The uniformity of the X-ray field was ± 1.5% at 100 cm source-to-surface distance. The batch homogeneities of user-defined ESFs were 2.4% and 8.7% for controlled and less-controlled OSLDs, respectively. The ED of OSLDs ranged from 1.125 to 0.812 as tube potential increased from 50 kVp to 150 kVp. The total uncertainty of OSLDs, without ED correction, could be as high as 16%. After applying ESF and ED correction, the total uncertainties were reduced to 6.3% in controlled OLSDs and 11.6% in less-controlled ones. OSLDs corrected with user-defined ESF and ED can reduce the uncertainty of dose measurements in diagnostic X-rays, particularly in managing less-controlled OSLDs.

Technical Note: Sources of systemic error in TBI and TSET in-vivo measurements using NanoDot OSLDs within high-efficiency clinics

PURPOSE

To identify sources of systemic errors and estimate their effects, especially the vendor-provided sensitivity S_s,i,vendor , on total body irradiation (TBI) and total skin electron therapy (TSET) in-vivo OSLD measurements.

MATERIALS

Calibration nanoDot OSLDs were irradiated 50∼300cGy under reference conditions. Raw OSLD readings M_raw were corrected by S_s,i,vendor to obtain corrected readings M_corr . A quadratic calibration curve relating M_corr to delivered dose D_w was established and commissioned for clinical use. For clinical measurements, directly adjacent pairs of nanoDot OSLDs were placed on TBI and TSET patients with a medical tape with or without 1.5cm of bolus respectively before treatment. Used OSLDs were bleached between each use until cumulative dose of 15Gy. Relative difference in corrected counts (∆M_corr,rel =pair-difference/mean) was fitted multi-linearly versus possible sources of systemic errors (S_s,i,vendor , bleaching history, cumulative dose, and age differences). Total of 101 TBI and 110 TSET measurement pairs from calibrated batches were analyzed.

RESULTS

S_s,i,vendor introduced a residual systemic error to corrected readings M_corr (-0.98% per +0.01, p = 4e-12). Given S_s,i,vendor distribution is σ = ±0.025, measured dose 1-σ error is ±2.5%, compared to ±2.8% uncertainty reported in the literature which may include this systemic error. Bleaching or cumulative dose did not affect M_corr significantly after adjusting for S_s,i,vendor . Adjusting for the systemic error in S_s,i,vendor decreased two-sample mean D_w median absolute error from ±2.6% to ±1.9% and 95-percentile absolute error from ±7.1% to ±5.5%. Variability between paired clinical OSLDs was larger for TBI versus TSET at σ_pd = ±4.7% and ±6.3% respectively, despite similar predictor distributions.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest M_raw correction via vendor-provided sensitivity results in a small but significant systemic error. Dosimeters with outlier sensitivities should be excluded during batch calibration to minimize error. Bleaching and cumulative dose likely minimally affect measurements if cumulative dose is controlled below 15Gy. Random errors were higher for TSET than TBI. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

A disposable OSL dosimeter for in vivo measurement of rectum dose during brachytherapy

PURPOSE

We aimed to develop a disposable rectum dosimeter and to demonstrate its ability to measure exposure dose to the rectum during brachytherapy for cervical cancer treatment using high-dose rate ¹⁹² Ir. Our rectum dosimeter measures the dose with an optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) sheet which was furled to a catheter. The catheter we used is 6 mm in diameter; therefore, it is much less invasive than other rectum dosimeters. The rectum dosimeter developed in this study has the characteristics of being inexpensive and disposable. It is also an easy-to-use detector that can be individually sterilized, making it suitable for clinical use.

METHODS

To obtain a dose calibration curve, phantom experiments were performed. Irradiation was performed using a cubical acrylic phantom, and the response of the OSL dosimeter was calibrated with the calculation value predicted by the treatment planning system (TPS). Additionally, the dependence of catheter angle on the dosimeter position and repeatability were evaluated. We also measured the absorbed dose to the rectum of patients who were undergoing brachytherapy for cervical cancer (n = 64). The doses measured with our dosimeters were compared with the doses calculated by the TPS. In order to examine the causes of large differences between measured and planned doses, we classified the data into common and specific cases when performing this clinical study. For specific cases, the following three categories were considered: (a) patient movement, (b) gas in the vagina and/or rectum, and (c) artifacts in the X-ray image caused by applicators.

RESULTS

A dose calibration curve was obtained in the range of 0.1 Gy-10.0 Gy. From the evaluation of the dependence of catheter angle on the dosimeter position and repeatability, we determined that our dosimeter can measure rectum dose with an accuracy of 3.1% (k = 1). In this clinical study, we succeeded in measuring actual doses using our rectum dosimeter. We found that the deviation of the measured dose from the planned dose was derived to be 12.7% (k = 1); this result shows that the clinical study included large elements of uncertainty. The discrepancies were found to be due to patient motion during treatment, applicator movement after planning images were taken, and artifacts in the planning images.

CONCLUSIONS

We present the idea that a minimally invasive rectum dosimeter can be fabricated using an OSL sheet. Our clinical study demonstrates that a rectum dosimeter made from an OSL sheet has sufficient ability to evaluate rectum dose. Using this dosimeter, valuable information concerning organs at risk can be obtained during brachytherapy.

Preliminary Investigation into the regeneration of luminescent signal in nanoDot OSLDs

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusion