A conducting plastic simulating brain tissue.
A new conducting plastic has been composed which accurately simulates the photon and neutron absorption properties of brain tissue. This tissue-equivalent (TE) plastic was formulated to match the hydrogen and nitrogen constituents recommended by ICRU Report #44 for brain tissue. Its development was initiated by the inability of muscle tissue-equivalent plastic to closely approximate brain tissue with respect to low-energy neutron interactions. This new plastic is particularly useful as an electrode in TE dosimetry devices for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), which utilizes low-energy neutrons for radiotherapy of the brain. Absorbed dose measurements in a clinical BNCT beam using a proportional counter constructed from this TE plastic show good agreement with Monte Carlo calculations.
Burmeister
J
J
Gershenson Radiation Oncology Center, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Harper Hospital and Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA. burmeist@kci.wayne.edu
Kota
C
C
Maughan
R L
RL
Spokas
J J
JJ
Coderre
J A
JA
Ma
R
R
Wielopolski
L
L
D016754:Boron Neutron Capture Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation; D001921:Brain / Q000528:radiation effects*; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D009502:Neutrons; D017785:Photons; D010969:Plastics; D011874:Radiometry
D010969:Plastics