A protocol for accurate radiochromic film dosimetry using Radiochromic.com

Ignasi Méndez; Juan José Rovira-Escutia; Bozidar Casar

doi:10.2478/raon-2021-0034

Abstract

Background

Radiochromic films have many applications in radiology and radiation therapy. Generally, the dosimetry system for radiochromic film dosimetry is composed of radiochromic films, flatbed scanner, and film analysis software. The purpose of this work is to present the effectiveness of a protocol for accurate radiochromic film dosimetry using Radiochromic.com as software for film analysis.

Materials and methods

Procedures for image acquisition, lot calibration, and dose calculation are explained and analyzed. Radiochromic.com enables state-of-the-art models and corrections for radiochromic film dosimetry, such as the Multigaussian model for multichannel film dosimetry, and lateral, inter-scan, and re-calibration corrections of the response.

Results

The protocol presented here provides accurate dose results by mitigating the sources of uncertainty that affect radiochromic film dosimetry.

Conclusions

Appropriate procedures for film and scanner handling in combination with Radiochromic.com as software for film analysis make easy and accurate radiochromic film dosimetry feasible.

References

Crijns W, Maes F, van der Heide UA, V den Heuvel F. Calibrating page sized Gafchromic EBT3 films. Med Phys 2013; 40: 012102. doi: 10.1118/1.4771960
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Niroomand-Rad A, Blackwell CR, Coursey BM, Gall KP, Galvin JM, McLaughlin WL, et al. Radiochromic film dosimetry: Recommendations of AAPM Radiation Therapy Committee Task Group 55. Med Phys 1998; 25: 2093115. doi: 10.1118/1.598407
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Rink A, Vitkin IA, Jaffray DA. Energy dependence (75 kVp to 18 MV) of radiochromic films assessed using a real-time optical dosimeter. Med Phys 2007; 34: 458-63. doi: 10.1118/1.2431425
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Richter C, Pawelke J, Karsch L, Woithe J. Energy dependence of EBT-1 radiochromic film response for photon (10 kVp–15 MVp) and electron beams (6–18 MeV) readout by a flatbed scanner. Med Phys 2009; 36: 5506-14. doi: 10.1118/1.3253902
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Arjomandy B, Tailor R, Anand A, Sahoo N, Gillin M, Prado K, et al. Energy dependence and dose response of Gafchromic EBT2 film over a wide range of photon, electron, and proton beam energies. Med Phys 2010; 37: 1942-7. doi: 10.1118/1.3253902
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Lindsay P, Rink A, Ruschin M, Jaffray D. Investigation of energy dependence of EBT and EBT-2 Gafchromic film. Med Phys 2010; 37: 571-6. doi: 10.1118/1.3291622
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Massillon-JL G, Chiu-Tsao S, Domingo-Munoz I, Chan M. Energy Dependence of the new Gafchromic EBT3 film: dose response curves for 50 KV, 6 and 15 MV x-ray beams. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2012; 1: 60-5. doi: 10.4236/ ijmpcero.2012.12008
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Bekerat H, Devic S, DeBlois F, Singh K, Sarfehnia A, Seuntjens J, et al. Improving the energy response of external beam therapy (EBT) GafChromic dosimetry films at low energies (≤ 100 keV). Med Phys 2014; 41: 022101. doi: 10.1118/1.4860157
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
León -Marroquín EY, Lárraga-Gutiérrez JM, Herrera-González JA, Camacho-López MA, Villarreal Barajas JE, Garcıá -Garduño OA. Investigation of EBT3 radiochromic film’s response to humidity. J Appl Clin Med Phys 2018; 19: 283-90. doi: 10.1002/acm2.12337
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Niroomand-Rad A, Chiu-Tsao ST, Grams MP, Lewis DF, Soares CG, Van Battum LJ, et al. Report of AAPM Task Group 235 radiochromic film dosimetry: an update to TG-55. Med Phys 2020; 47: 5986-6025. doi: 10.1002/ mp.14497
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Lozares S, Font JA, Gandía A, Campos A, Flamarique S, Ibáñez R, et al. In vivo dosimetry in low-voltage IORT breast treatments with XR-RV3 radiochromic film. Phys Med 2021; 81: 173-81. doi: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2020.12.011
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
McCabe BP, Speide l MA, Pike TL, Van Lysel MS. Calibration of Gafchromic XR-RV3 radiochromic film for skin dose measurement using standardized x-ray spectra and a commercial flatbed scanner. Med Phys 2011; 38: 1919-30. doi: 10.1118/1.3560422
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Lárraga-Gutiérrez JM, Garcıá -Garduño OA, Treviño-Palacios C, Herrera-González JA. Evaluation of a led-based flatbed document scanner for radiochromic film dosimetry in transmission mode. Phys Med 2018; 47: 86-91. doi: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2018.02.010
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
González-López A, Vera-S ánchez JA, Ruiz-Morales C. The incidence of the different sources of noise on the uncertainty in radiochromic film dosimetry using single channel and multichannel methods. Phys Med Biol 2017; 62: N525-36. doi: 10.1088/1361-6560/aa8f74
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Méndez I, Šljivić Ž, Hudej R, Jenko A, Casar B. Grid patterns, spatial inter-scan variations and scanning reading repeatability in radiochromic film dosimetry. Phys Med 2016; 32: 1072-81.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Battum L van, Huizenga H, Verdaa sdonk R, Heukelom S. How flatbed scanners upset accurate film dosimetry. Phys Med Biol 2015; 61: 625-49. doi: 10.1088/0031-9155/61/2/625.
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Lewis D, Chan MF. Correcting lat eral response artifacts from flatbed scanners for radiochromic film dosimetry. Med Phys 2015; 42: 416-29.doi: 10.1118/1.4903758.
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Lewis D, Devic S. Correcting scan-to-scan response variability for a radiochromic film-based reference dosimetry system. Med Phys 2015; 42: 5692-701. doi: 10.1118/1.4929563
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Schoenfeld AA, Poppinga D, Harde r D, Doerner KJ, Poppe B. The artefacts of radiochromic film dosimetry with flatbed scanners and their causation by light scattering from radiation-induced polymers. Phys Med Biol 2014; 59: 3575-97.doi: 10.1088/0031-9155/59/13/3575
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Alnawaf H, Yu PK, Butson M. Comparison of Epson scanner quality for radiochromic film evaluation. J Appl Clin Med Phys 2012; 13: 3957. doi: 10.1120/jacmp.v13i5.3957
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Papaconstadopoulos P, Hegyi G, S euntjens J, Devic S. A protocol for EBT3 radiochromic film dosimetry using reflection scanning. Med Phys 2014; 41: 122101. doi: 10.1118/1.4901308
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Ramos L, Perez Azorin JF. Comment on “A protocol for EBT3 radiochromic film dosimetry using reflection dosimetry using scanning” [Med Phys 41(12), 122101 (6pp.) (2014)]. Med Phys 2015; 42: 2096-7. doi: 10.1118/1.4914853
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Méndez I, Polšak A, Hudej R, Casar B. The multigaussian method: a new approach to mitigating spatial heterogeneities with multichannel radiochromic film dosimetry. Phys Med Biol 2018; 63: 175013.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Hartmann B, Martišıḱ ová M, Jäkel O. Homogeneity of Gafchromic EBT2 film. Med Phys 2010; 37: 1753-6. doi: 10.1118/1.3368601
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Andrés C, del Castillo A, Tortosa R, Alonso D, Barquero R. A comprehensive study of the Gafchromic EBT2 radiochromic film. A comparison with EBT. Med Phys 2010; 37: 6271-8. doi: 10.1118/1.3512792
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Girard F, Bouchard H, Lacroix F. Reference dosimetry using radiochromic film. J Appl Clin Med Phys 2012; 13: 3994. doi: 10.1120/jacmp.v13i6.3994
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Rink A, Lewis DF, Varma S, Vitkin IA, Ja ffray DA. Temperature and hydration effects on absorbance spectra and radiation sensitivity of a radiochromic medium. Med Phys 2008; 35: 4545-55. doi: 10.1118/1.2975483
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Bouchard H, Lacroix F, Beaudoin G, Carrier J-F, Kawrakow I. On the characterization and uncertainty analysis of radiochromic film dosimetry. Med Phys 2009; 36: 1931-46. doi: 10.1118/1.3121488
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Van Hoof SJ, Granton PV, Landry G, Podesta M, Verhaegen F. Evaluation of a novel triple-channel radiochromic film analysis procedure using EBT2. Phys Med Biol 2012; 57: 4353–68. doi: 10.1088/0031-9155/57/13/4353
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Paelinck L, De Neve W, De Wagter C. Precautions and strategies in using a commercial flatbed scanner for radiochromic film dosimetry. Phys Med Biol 2007; 52: 231-42. doi: 10.1088/0031-9155/52/1/015
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Ferreira B, Lopes M, Capela M. Evaluation of an Epson flatbed scanner to read Gafchromic EBT films for radiation dosimetry. Phys Med Biol 2009; 54: 1073-85. doi: 10.1088/0031-9155/54/4/017
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Schoenfeld AA, Wieker S, Harder D, Poppe B. The origin of the flatbed scanner artifacts in radiochromic film dosimetry-key experiments and theoretical descriptions. Phys Med Biol 2016; 61: 7704-24. doi: 10.1088/00319155/61/21/7704
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Butson MJ, Cheung T, Yu P. Evaluation of the magnitude of EBT Gafchromic film polarization effects. Australas Phys Eng Sci Med 2009; 32: 21-5. doi: 10.1007/BF03178624
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Palmer AL, Bradley DA, Nisbet A. Evaluat ion and mitigation of potential errors in radiochromic film dosimetry due to film curvature at scanning. J Appl Clin Med Phys 2015; 16: 5141. doi: 10.1120/jacmp.v16i2.5141
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Dreindl R, Georg D, Stock M. Radiochromic film dosimetry: considerations on precision and accuracy for EBT2 and EBT3 type films. Z Med Phys 2014; 24: 153-63. doi: 10.1016/j.zemedi.2013.08.002
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Devic S, Aldelaijan S, Mohammed H, Tomic N, Liang LH, DeBlois F, et al. Absorption spectra time evolution of EBT-2 model Gafchromic film. Med Phys 2010; 37: 2207-14. doi: 10.1118/1.3378675
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Ruiz-Morales C, Vera-Sánchez JA, Gonzále z-López A. On the re-calibration process in radiochromic film dosimetry. Phys Med 2017; 42: 67-75. doi: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2017.08.013
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Méndez I, Hartman V, Hudej R, Strojnik A, Casar B. Gafchromic EBT2 film dosimetry in reflection mode with a novel plan-based calibration method. Med Phys 2013; 40: 011720. doi: 10.1118/1.4772075
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Vera-Sánchez JA, Ruiz-Morales C, González-Ló pez A. Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis of dose estimates in radiochromic film dosimetry with single-channel and multichannel algorithms. Phys Med 2018; 47: 23-33. doi: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2018.02.006
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Casar B, Gershkevitsh E, Mendez I, Jurković S, Huq MS. A novel method for the determination of field output factors and output correction factors for small static fields for six diodes and a microdiamond detector in megavoltage photon beams. Med Phys 2019; 46: 944-63. doi: 10.1002/mp.13318
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Casar B, Gershkevitsh E, Mendez I, Jurković S, Saiful Huq M. Output correction factors for small static fields in megavoltage photon beams for seven ionization chambers in two orientations – perpendicular and parallel. Med Phys 2020; 47: 242-59. doi: 10.1002/mp.13894
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article