Design and dosimetry characteristics of a soft-docking system for intraoperative radiation therapy.
OBJECTIVE
The design concept and the dosimetric characteristics of an applicator system for intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) with special emphasis on alignment methods, the effect of a plastic scatterer in the beam, radiation leakage, and misalignment dosimetry, are presented in this paper.


METHODS
A soft-docking system for a linear accelerator, which enables collimation of electron beams (4-22 MeV) for IORT has been developed. The system includes twenty-one circular polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) treatment cones of different lengths, diameters and end angles. All in-water measurements are made using p-type silicon diode detectors.


RESULTS
The effect of introducing a PMMA scatterer in the therapeutic beam includes increased surface dose values (above 83% for all nominal electron energies and for all cones) and improved dose homogeneity within the therapeutic range. Electrons scattered from the inside wall of the cone result in dose profile horns at depth of dose maximum always lower than 109%. The radiation leakage outside the cone is less than 13%. Large changes in the dose profiles occur if the intraoperative cone is misaligned more than 0.5.


CONCLUSIONS
The alignment procedure of the soft-docking system is easy to handle and the applicator design provides adequate collimation of electron beams for IORT.
Björk
P
P
Department of Radiation Physics, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden. peter.bjork@radfys.lu.se
Knöös
T
T
Nilsson
P
P
Larsson
K
K
D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004867:Equipment Design; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D010315:Particle Accelerators / Q000295:instrumentation*; D055585:Physical Phenomena; D010825:Physics; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012542:Scattering, Radiation