Efficacy of several compensating materials on the high-energy electron beam irradiation

Abstract

This study aimed to use different dose verification methods Treatment Planning System (TPS), thimble ionization chamber and two-dimensional matrix ionization chamber (MatriXX) to explore the compensating effects of several materials on high-energy electron beam irradiation. In this study, we positioned plexiglass panels, wet medical gauze, colloidal compensatory material and Vaseline compensator, all of the same thickness, flat on the surface of a MatriXX. The above four materials were placed on the surface of a thimble ionization chamber and irradiated with a linear accelerator. Under the same irradiation parameters, the compensation dose of of the tested materials was worked out by a dosimeter, which was connected at the thimble ionization chamber. Under vertical irradiation from the linear accelerator, the accelerator used the same irradiation conditions for the four materials, which were flat on the surface of the MatriXX, then determined the distribution of compensation doses by the soft system matching with the MatriXX. The results showed that the compensation dose of moist medical gauze was lower than the other three materials, the compensation dose of Plexiglass plate, colloidal compensatory material and vaseline compensation were approximate. The dose compensation effect of the vaseline compensation material made by our research group was close to the plexiglass plate and colloidal compensatory material used in radiotherapy in real life. Its physical and chemical properties are stable, easy to manufacture and store, and economical and practical.

Keywords

• High energy electron beam irradiation
• compensation material
• treatment plan system
• thimble ionization chamber
• MatriXX