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Caravaca J, Huh Y, Gullberg GT, Seo Y. Compton and proximity imaging of 225Ac in vivo with a CZT gamma camera: a proof of principle with simulations. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON RADIATION AND PLASMA MEDICAL SCIENCES 2022; 6:904-915. [PMID: 36338821 PMCID: PMC9632644 DOI: 10.1109/trpms.2022.3166116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
In vivo imaging of 225Ac is a major challenge in the development of targeted alpha therapy radiopharmaceuticals due to the extremely low injected doses. In this paper, we present the design of a multi-modality gamma camera that integrates both proximity and Compton imaging in order to achieve the demanding sensitivities required to image 225Ac with good image quality. We consider a dual-head camera, each of the heads consisting of two planar cadmium zinc telluride detectors acting as scatterer and absorber for Compton imaging, and with the scatterer practically in contact with the subject to allow for proximity imaging. We optimize the detector's design and characterize the detector's performance using Monte Carlo simulations. We show that Compton imaging can resolve features of up to 1.5 mm for hot rod phantoms with an activity of 1 μCi, and can reconstruct 3D images of a mouse injected with 0.5 μCi after a 15 minutes exposure and with a single bed position, for both 221Fr and 213Bi. Proximity imaging is able to resolve two 1 mm-radius sources of less than 0.1 μCi separated by 1 cm and at 1 mm from the detector, as well as it can provide planar images of 221Fr and 213Bi biodistributions of the mouse phantom in 5 minutes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Caravaca
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging of the University of California San Francisco in San Francisco (CA) USA
| | - Yoonsuk Huh
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging of the University of California San Francisco in San Francisco (CA) USA
| | - Grant T Gullberg
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging of the University of California San Francisco in San Francisco (CA) USA
| | - Youngho Seo
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging of the University of California San Francisco in San Francisco (CA) USA
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Lerendegui-Marco J, Balibrea-Correa J, Babiano-Suárez V, Ladarescu I, Domingo-Pardo C. Towards machine learning aided real-time range imaging in proton therapy. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2735. [PMID: 35177663 PMCID: PMC8854574 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06126-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Compton imaging represents a promising technique for range verification in proton therapy treatments. In this work, we report on the advantageous aspects of the i-TED detector for proton-range monitoring, based on the results of the first Monte Carlo study of its applicability to this field. i-TED is an array of Compton cameras, that have been specifically designed for neutron-capture nuclear physics experiments, which are characterized by [Formula: see text]-ray energies spanning up to 5-6 MeV, rather low [Formula: see text]-ray emission yields and very intense neutron induced [Formula: see text]-ray backgrounds. Our developments to cope with these three aspects are concomitant with those required in the field of hadron therapy, especially in terms of high efficiency for real-time monitoring, low sensitivity to neutron backgrounds and reliable performance at the high [Formula: see text]-ray energies. We find that signal-to-background ratios can be appreciably improved with i-TED thanks to its light-weight design and the low neutron-capture cross sections of its LaCl[Formula: see text] crystals, when compared to other similar systems based on LYSO, CdZnTe or LaBr[Formula: see text]. Its high time-resolution (CRT [Formula: see text] 500 ps) represents an additional advantage for background suppression when operated in pulsed HT mode. Each i-TED Compton module features two detection planes of very large LaCl[Formula: see text] monolithic crystals, thereby achieving a high efficiency in coincidence of 0.2% for a point-like 1 MeV [Formula: see text]-ray source at 5 cm distance. This leads to sufficient statistics for reliable image reconstruction with an array of four i-TED detectors assuming clinical intensities of 10[Formula: see text] protons per treatment point. The use of a two-plane design instead of three-planes has been preferred owing to the higher attainable efficiency for double time-coincidences than for threefold events. The loss of full-energy events for high energy [Formula: see text]-rays is compensated by means of machine-learning based algorithms, which allow one to enhance the signal-to-total ratio up to a factor of 2.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Ion Ladarescu
- Instituto de Física Corpuscular, CSIC-University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - César Domingo-Pardo
- Instituto de Física Corpuscular, CSIC-University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
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Esposito M, Waltham C, Taylor JT, Manger S, Phoenix B, Price T, Poludniowski G, Green S, Evans PM, Allport PP, Manolopulos S, Nieto-Camero J, Symons J, Allinson NM. PRaVDA: The first solid-state system for proton computed tomography. Phys Med 2018; 55:149-154. [PMID: 30420271 PMCID: PMC6250048 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2018.10.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2018] [Revised: 09/26/2018] [Accepted: 10/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Proton CT is widely recognised as a beneficial alternative to conventional X-ray CT for treatment planning in proton beam radiotherapy. A novel proton CT imaging system, based entirely on solid-state detector technology, is presented. Compared to conventional scintillator-based calorimeters, positional sensitive detectors allow for multiple protons to be tracked per read out cycle, leading to a potential reduction in proton CT scan time. Design and characterisation of its components are discussed. An early proton CT image obtained with a fully solid-state imaging system is shown and accuracy (as defined in Section IV) in Relative Stopping Power to water (RSP) quantified. METHOD A solid-state imaging system for proton CT, based on silicon strip detectors, has been developed by the PRaVDA collaboration. The system comprises a tracking system that infers individual proton trajectories through an imaging phantom, and a Range Telescope (RT) which records the corresponding residual energy (range) for each proton. A back-projection-then-filtering algorithm is used for CT reconstruction of an experimentally acquired proton CT scan. RESULTS An initial experimental result for proton CT imaging with a fully solid-state system is shown for an imaging phantom, namely a 75 mm diameter PMMA sphere containing tissue substitute inserts, imaged with a passively-scattered 125 MeV beam. Accuracy in RSP is measured to be ⩽1.6% for all the inserts shown. CONCLUSIONS A fully solid-state imaging system for proton CT has been shown capable of imaging a phantom with protons and successfully improving RSP accuracy. These promising results, together with system the capability to cope with high proton fluences (2×108 protons/s), suggests that this research platform could improve current standards in treatment planning for proton beam radiotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chris Waltham
- University of Lincoln, School of Computer Science, Lincoln, UK
| | | | - Sam Manger
- University of Warwick, Department of Physics, Warwick, UK
| | - Ben Phoenix
- University of Birmingham, School of Physics and Astronomy, Birmingham, UK
| | - Tony Price
- University of Birmingham, School of Physics and Astronomy, Birmingham, UK
| | | | - Stuart Green
- University of Birmingham, School of Physics and Astronomy, Birmingham, UK
| | - Philip M Evans
- University of Surrey, Centre for Vision, Speech and Signal Processing, Guildford, UK
| | - Philip P Allport
- University of Birmingham, School of Physics and Astronomy, Birmingham, UK
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Martišíková M, Gehrke T, Berke S, Aricò G, Jäkel O. Helium ion beam imaging for image guided ion radiotherapy. Radiat Oncol 2018; 13:109. [PMID: 29898746 PMCID: PMC6000951 DOI: 10.1186/s13014-018-1046-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2017] [Accepted: 05/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ion beam radiotherapy provides potential for increased dose conformation to the target volume. To translate it into a clinical advantage, it is necessary to guarantee a precise alignment of the actual internal patient geometry with the treatment beam. This is in particular challenging for inter- and intrafractional variations, including movement. Ion beams have the potential for a high sensitivity imaging of the patient geometry. However, the research on suitable imaging methods is not conclusive yet. Here we summarize the research activities within the "Clinical research group heavy ion therapy" funded by the DFG (KFO214). Our aim was to develop a method for the visualization of a 1 mm thickness difference with a spatial resolution of about 1 mm at clinically applicable doses. METHODS We designed and built a dedicated system prototype for ion radiography using exclusively the pixelated semiconductor technology Timepix developed at CERN. Helium ions were chosen as imaging radiation due to their decreased scattering in comparison to protons, and lower damaging potential compared to carbon ions. The data acquisition procedure and a dedicated information processing algorithm were established. The performance of the method was evaluated at the ion beam therapy facility HIT in Germany with geometrical phantoms. The quality of the images was quantified by contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and spatial resolution (SR) considering the imaging dose. RESULTS Using the unique method for single ion identification, degradation of the images due to the inherent contamination of the outgoing beam with light secondary fragments (hydrogen) was avoided. We demonstrated experimentally that the developed data processing increases the CNR by 350%. Consideration of the measured ion track directions improved the SR by 150%. Compared to proton radiographs at the same dose, helium radiographs exhibited 50% higher SR (0.56 ± 0.04lp/mm vs. 0.37 ± 0.02lp/mm) at a comparable CNR in the middle of the phantom. The clear visualization of the aimed inhomogeneity at a diagnostic dose level demonstrates a resolution of 0.1 g/cm2 or 0.6% in terms of water-equivalent thickness. CONCLUSIONS We developed a dedicated method for helium ion radiography, based exclusively on pixelated semiconductor detectors. The achievement of a clinically desired image quality in simple phantoms at diagnostic dose levels was demonstrated experimentally.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Martišíková
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiation Therapy, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Medical Physics in Radiation Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Heidelberg Institute for Radiation Oncology (HIRO), National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - T. Gehrke
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiation Therapy, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Medical Physics in Radiation Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Heidelberg Institute for Radiation Oncology (HIRO), National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - S. Berke
- Medical Physics in Radiation Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Present address: The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust, Prescot Street, Liverpool, L7 8XP UK
| | - G. Aricò
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiation Therapy, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Medical Physics in Radiation Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Heidelberg Institute for Radiation Oncology (HIRO), National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, Heidelberg, Germany
- Present address: European Organization for Nuclear Research CERN, CH-1211 Geneva 23, Switzerland
| | - O. Jäkel
- Medical Physics in Radiation Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Heidelberg Institute for Radiation Oncology (HIRO), National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, Heidelberg, Germany
- Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 450, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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Johnson RP. Review of medical radiography and tomography with proton beams. REPORTS ON PROGRESS IN PHYSICS. PHYSICAL SOCIETY (GREAT BRITAIN) 2018; 81:016701. [PMID: 28884707 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6633/aa8b1d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The use of hadron beams, especially proton beams, in cancer radiotherapy has expanded rapidly in the past two decades. To fully realize the advantages of hadron therapy over traditional x-ray and gamma-ray therapy requires accurate positioning of the Bragg peak throughout the tumor being treated. A half century ago, suggestions had already been made to use protons themselves to develop images of tumors and surrounding tissue, to be used for treatment planning. The recent global expansion of hadron therapy, coupled with modern advances in computation and particle detection, has led several collaborations around the world to develop prototype detector systems and associated reconstruction codes for proton computed tomography (pCT), as well as more simple proton radiography, with the ultimate intent to use such systems in clinical treatment planning and verification. Recent imaging results of phantoms in hospital proton beams are encouraging, but many technical and programmatic challenges remain to be overcome before pCT scanners will be introduced into clinics. This review introduces hadron therapy and the perceived advantages of pCT and proton radiography for treatment planning, reviews its historical development, and discusses the physics related to proton imaging, the associated experimental and computation issues, the technologies used to attack the problem, contemporary efforts in detector and computational development, and the current status and outlook.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert P Johnson
- Department of Physics, University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz, CA 95064, United States of America
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Taylor JT, Poludniowski G, Price T, Waltham C, Allport PP, Casse GL, Esposito M, Evans PM, Green S, Manger S, Manolopoulos S, Nieto-Camero J, Parker DJ, Symons J, Allinson NM. An experimental demonstration of a new type of proton computed tomography using a novel silicon tracking detector. Med Phys 2017; 43:6129. [PMID: 27806609 DOI: 10.1118/1.4965809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Radiography and tomography using proton beams promise benefit to image guidance and treatment planning for proton therapy. A novel proton tracking detector is described and experimental demonstrations at a therapy facility are reported. A new type of proton CT reconstructing relative "scattering power" rather than "stopping power" is also demonstrated. Notably, this new type of imaging does not require the measurement of the residual energies of the protons. METHODS A large area, silicon microstrip tracker with high spatial and temporal resolution has been developed by the Proton Radiotherapy Verification and Dosimetry Applications consortium and commissioned using beams of protons at iThemba LABS, Medical Radiation Department, South Africa. The tracker comprises twelve planes of silicon developed using technology from high energy physics with each plane having an active area of ∼10 × 10 cm segmented into 2048 microstrips. The tracker is organized into four separate units each containing three detectors at 60° to one another creating an x-u-v coordinate system. Pairs of tracking units are used to reconstruct vertices for protons entering and exiting a phantom containing tissue equivalent inserts. By measuring the position and direction of each proton before and after the phantom, the nonlinear path for each proton through an object can be reconstructed. RESULTS Experimental results are reported for tracking the path of protons with initial energies of 125 and 191 MeV. A spherical phantom of 75 mm diameter was imaged by positioning it between the entrance and exit detectors of the tracker. Positions and directions of individual protons were used to create angular distributions and 2D fluence maps of the beam. These results were acquired for 36 equally spaced projections spanning 180°, allowing, for the first time, an experimental CT image based upon the relative scattering power of protons to be reconstructed. CONCLUSIONS Successful tracking of protons through a thick target (phantom) has demonstrated that the tracker discussed in this paper can provide the precise directional information needed to perform proton radiography and tomography. When synchronized with a range telescope, this could enable the reconstruction of proton CT images of stopping power. Furthermore, by measuring the deflection of many protons through a phantom, it was demonstrated that it is possible to reconstruct a new kind of CT image (scattering power) based upon this tracking information alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- J T Taylor
- Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Oxford Street, Liverpool L69 7ZE, United Kingdom
| | - G Poludniowski
- Department of Medical Physics, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden and Centre for Vision Speech and Signal Processing, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, United Kingdom
| | - T Price
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B25 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - C Waltham
- Laboratory of Vision Engineering, School of Computer Science, University of Lincoln, Lincoln LN6 7TS, United Kingdom
| | - P P Allport
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B25 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - G L Casse
- Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Oxford Street, Liverpool L69 7ZE, United Kingdom
| | - M Esposito
- Laboratory of Vision Engineering, School of Computer Science, University of Lincoln, Lincoln LN6 7TS, United Kingdom
| | - P M Evans
- Centre for Vision Speech and Signal Processing, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, United Kingdom
| | - S Green
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B25 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - S Manger
- Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - S Manolopoulos
- University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Coventry CV2 2DX, United Kingdom
| | - J Nieto-Camero
- iThemba LABS, P.O. Box 722, Somerset West 7129, South Africa
| | - D J Parker
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B25 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - J Symons
- iThemba LABS, P.O. Box 722, Somerset West 7129, South Africa
| | - N M Allinson
- Laboratory of Vision Engineering, School of Computer Science, University of Lincoln, Lincoln LN6 7TS, United Kingdom
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Prall M, Durante M, Berger T, Przybyla B, Graeff C, Lang PM, LaTessa C, Shestov L, Simoniello P, Danly C, Mariam F, Merrill F, Nedrow P, Wilde C, Varentsov D. High-energy proton imaging for biomedical applications. Sci Rep 2016; 6:27651. [PMID: 27282667 PMCID: PMC4901340 DOI: 10.1038/srep27651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2015] [Accepted: 05/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The charged particle community is looking for techniques exploiting proton interactions instead of X-ray absorption for creating images of human tissue. Due to multiple Coulomb scattering inside the measured object it has shown to be highly non-trivial to achieve sufficient spatial resolution. We present imaging of biological tissue with a proton microscope. This device relies on magnetic optics, distinguishing it from most published proton imaging methods. For these methods reducing the data acquisition time to a clinically acceptable level has turned out to be challenging. In a proton microscope, data acquisition and processing are much simpler. This device even allows imaging in real time. The primary medical application will be image guidance in proton radiosurgery. Proton images demonstrating the potential for this application are presented. Tomographic reconstructions are included to raise awareness of the possibility of high-resolution proton tomography using magneto-optics.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Prall
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Planckstraße 1, 64291 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - M. Durante
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Planckstraße 1, 64291 Darmstadt, Germany
- Technische Universität Darmstadt, Schlossgartenstraße 9, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - T. Berger
- Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Lindner Höhe, 51147 Cologne, Germany
| | - B. Przybyla
- Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Lindner Höhe, 51147 Cologne, Germany
| | - C. Graeff
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Planckstraße 1, 64291 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - P. M. Lang
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Planckstraße 1, 64291 Darmstadt, Germany
- Technische Universität Darmstadt, Schlossgartenstraße 9, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - C. LaTessa
- Brookhaven National Laboratory, P. O. Box 5000, Upton, NY 11973-5000, USA
| | - L. Shestov
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Planckstraße 1, 64291 Darmstadt, Germany
- Technische Universität Darmstadt, Schlossgartenstraße 9, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany
- Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS), Ruth-Moufang-Straße 1, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - P. Simoniello
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Planckstraße 1, 64291 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - C. Danly
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | - F. Mariam
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | - F. Merrill
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | - P. Nedrow
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | - C. Wilde
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | - D. Varentsov
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Planckstraße 1, 64291 Darmstadt, Germany
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