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Y De Deene

Publications and source records attributed to Y De Deene.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

The fundamental radiation properties of normoxic polymer gel dosimeters: a comparison between a methacrylic acid based gel and acrylamide based gels.

Polymer gel dosimeters offer a wide range of applications in the three-dimensional verification of complex dose distributions such as in intensity-modulated radiotherapy. One of the major difficulties with polymer gel dosimeters is their sensitivity to oxygen, as oxygen inhibits the radiation-induced polymerization reaction. For several years, oxygen was removed from the gels by bubbling the sol with inert gases for several hours during the gel fabrication. Also, the gel had to be poured in containers with low oxygen permeability and solubility. Recently, it was found that these technical difficulties can easily be solved by adding an antioxidant to the gel. These gels are called 'normoxic' gels as they can be produced under normal atmospheric conditions. In this study several properties of polymer gel dosimeters have been investigated: the dose sensitivity, the temporal and spatial stability of the gel, the sensitivity of the dose response to temperature during irradiation and during MR imaging, the energy dependence and the dose-rate dependence. This study reveals that the normoxic polymer gel dosimeter based on methacrylic acid (nMAG) studied in this work has inferior radiation properties as compared to the polyacrylamide gelatine (PAG) gel dosimeters. It is shown that from the three different gel dosimeters investigated in this study, the nPAG gel dosimeter results in a less sensitive gel dosimeter but with superior radiation properties as compared to the nMAG gel dosimeter. The importance of investigating relevant radiation properties of gel dosimeters apart from the radiation sensitivity-prior to their use for dosimetric validation experiments-is illustrated and emphasized throughout this study. Other combinations of monomer and gelling agent may result in more reliable normoxic polymer gel dosimeters.

Acrylamide↗
PubMed2004

On the relation between the spatial dose integrity and the temporal instability of polymer gel dosimeters.

When irradiating a polymer gel dosimeter to relatively high doses, edge enhancing effects (overshoots) may be noticed near dose gradients, resulting in a loss of spatial dose integrity. These overshoots are believed to be a consequence of monomers diffusing into the high-dose region, where they react with long-living macroradicals. Macroradicals may also be responsible for the temporal chemical instability of post-irradiation polymerization that occurs in the polymer gel dosimeter. In this study, a mathematical model is proposed that simulates the edge enhancing effect. The model is based on the hypothesis that the macroradicals are responsible for both the temporal instability and loss of spatial dose integrity. All input parameters for the model are obtained from independent experiments. The edge enhancing effect is studied both experimentally and theoretically for polymer gel dosimeters with various gelatin concentrations. The change in the edge enhancement is also investigated over post-irradiation time. Comparisons between polymer gel measurements and simulations confirm the hypothesis that there is a strong relation between the spatial and temporal instabilities.

Free Radicals↗
PubMed2004

Validation and application of polymer gel dosimetry for the dose verification of an intensity-modulated arc therapy (IMAT) treatment.

Polymer gel dosimetry was used to assess an intensity-modulated arc therapy (IMAT) treatment for whole abdominopelvic radiotherapy. Prior to the actual dosimetry experiment, a uniformity study on an unirradiated anthropomorphic phantom was carried out. A correction was performed to minimize deviations in the R2 maps due to radiofrequency non-uniformities. In addition, compensation strategies were implemented to limit R2 deviations caused by temperature drift during scanning. Inter- and intra-slice R2 deviations in the phantom were thereby significantly reduced. This was verified in an investigative study where the same phantom was irradiated with two rectangular superimposed beams: structural deviations between gel measurements and computational results remained below 3% outside high dose gradient regions; the spatial shift in those regions was within 2.5 mm. When comparing gel measurements with computational results for the IMAT treatment, dose deviations were noted in the liver and right kidney, but the dose-volume constraints were met. Root-mean-square differences between both dose distributions were within 5% with spatial deviations not more than 2.5 mm. Dose fluctuations due to gantry angle discretization in the dose computation algorithm were particularly noticeable in the low-dose region.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2003

The effect of water molecular self-diffusion on quantitative high-resolution MRI polymer gel dosimetry.

In polymer gel dosimetry, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to determine the spin-spin relaxation rate (R2) which in turn can be correlated with absorbed dose to provide a map of the spatial distribution of the absorbed dose in the irradiated dosimeter. High accuracy, precision and reproducibility of these dose maps are essential. Moreover, for dose verification around brachytherapy sources used for intravascular brachytherapy, a high spatial resolution is required (typically 0.01-0.1 mm). To achieve these microscopic resolutions, strong imaging gradients are applied. The Brownian motion of water molecules in the presence of these strong magnetic field gradients causes an attenuation of the MR signal. When using a multiple spin-echo sequence, this may result in a significant deviation in the measured R2. The diffusion-related change in R2 at high resolutions was investigated experimentally and correlated with predictions that were obtained numerically and algebraically. Diffusion weighting is determined by the self-diffusion coefficient D, and imaging parameters, quantified by the b-factor. The b-factor was calculated for a multiple spin-echo sequence for different gradient strengths and gradient pulse durations. The variations in R2 that were observed when changing the matrix size and slice thickness are explained. It is shown that a linear correlation between the matrix size and the variation in R2 is based on the diffusion weighting caused by the read-out gradients and slice selective gradients. In conclusion, the essence of taking into account molecular self-diffusion to quantify variations in the measured dose-R2 response when using high-resolution MRI in polymer gel dosimetry is emphasized.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2002

A basic study of some normoxic polymer gel dosimeters.

Polymer gel dosimeters offer a wide range of potential applications in the three-dimensional verification of complex dose distribution such as in intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Until now, however, polymer gel dosimeters have not been widely used in the clinic. One of the reasons is that they are difficult to manufacture. As the polymerization in polymer gels is inhibited by oxygen, all free oxygen has to be removed from the gels. For several years this was achieved by bubbling nitrogen through the gel solutions and by filling the phantoms in a glove box that is perfused with nitrogen. Recently another gel formulation was proposed in which oxygen is bound in a metallo-organic complex thus removing the problem of oxygen inhibition. The proposed gel consists of methacrylic acid, gelatin, ascorbic acid, hydroquinone and copper(II)sulphate and is given the acronym MAGIC gel dosimeter. These gels are fabricated under normal atmospheric conditions and are therefore called 'normoxic' gel dosimeters. In this study, a chemical analysis on the MAGIC gel was performed. The composition of the gel was varied and its radiation response was evaluated. The role of different chemicals and the reaction kinetics are discussed. It was found that ascorbic acid alone was able to bind the oxygen and can thus be used as an anti-oxidant in a polymer gel dosimeter. It was also found that the anti-oxidants N-acetyl-cysteine and tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium were effective in scavenging the oxygen. However, the rate of oxygen scavenging is dependent on the anti-oxidant and its concentration with tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium being the most reactive anti-oxidants. Potentiometric oxygen measurements in solution provide an easy way to get a first impression on the rate of oxygen scavenging. It is shown that cupper(II)sulphate operates as a catalyst in the oxidation of ascorbic acid. We, therefore, propose some new normoxic gel formulations that have a less complicated chemical formulation than the MAGIC gel.

Acetylcysteine↗
PubMed2002

Optimization of multiple spin-echo sequences for 3D polymer gel dosimetry.

The overall performance of polymer gel dosimeters for three-dimensional radiation dosimetry is determined by the temporal and spatial stability of the gels, dose sensitivity and image quality with respect to both systematic and stochastic deviations. The dose resolution (D(p)delta) is determined by the dose sensitivity and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the dose images. The dose sensitivity can be altered by changing the chemical composition of the polymer gel. The SNR is determined by the scanner and the imaging sequence. In the dose verification of conformal radiotherapy treatments the chosen number of slices may reach a number of 10-20. For these experiments, to obtain a sufficient SNR within a reasonable measurement time using a certain MR scanner, the imaging sequence should be optimized. A few other studies have emphasized the importance of optimizing the imaging sequence with respect to dose resolution (D(p)delta) or SNR but do not give quantitative values for the optimal sequence parameters for scanning a polymer gel dosimeter in three dimensions. In this paper, it is proved that a multiple spin-echo sequence is preferable to a single spin-echo sequence. It is also shown that when using a multiple spin-echo sequence it is not the inter-echo time that should be optimized but the number of echoes. An algebraical expression is derived for the dose resolution in terms of sequence parameters. A mathematical formalism and look-up tables are provided that can be used to optimize both a single and a slice-selective multiple spin-echo sequence to acquire a set of dose images at various locations. The use of the optimization protocol is illustrated by some examples. The optimization protocol enables the user to derive the optimal sequence parameters to acquire a set of dose maps obtained by quantitative T2 imaging for each polymer gel dosimeter within the shortest time possible.

Acrylic Resins↗
PubMed2002

Dose-response stability and integrity of the dose distribution of various polymer gel dosimeters.

In this study the stability of different polymer gel dosimeters is investigated. Further to a previous chemical stability study on a (6%T, 50%C) PAG gel, the change in slope and intercept of the linear part of the R2-dose plot is recorded with time for different gel formulations. In addition to this R2-dose-response stability study, the dose edge of a half-blocked field was recorded with time. Three different PAG type polymer gels, a hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) gel and two different normoxic polymer gels were investigated. In the PAG type polymer gels, the relative concentration of gelatin and comonomers was varied in order to study the influence of the different components, that constitute the dosimeter, on the stability. It is shown that the R2-dose-response stability is largely determined by the chemical composition of the gel dosimeters. All the PAG gel dosimeters and the normoxic gel dosimeters are found to preserve the integrity of the dose distribution up to 22 days after irradiation. The half-life of the change in dose sensitivity of a MAGIC gel is found to be 18 h compared to 5.7 h for a (6%T, 50%C) PAG gel. A maximum relative decrease in dose sensitivity of 21% was noted for the MAGIC gel compared to an increase of 50% for a (6%T, 50%C) PAG gel. A loss of integrity of the dose distribution was found in the HEA gel.

Acrylic Resins↗
PubMed2002

Magnetization transfer imaging for polymer gel dosimetry.

Off-resonance RF pre-saturation was used to obtain contrast in MRI images of polymer gel dosimeters irradiated to doses up to 50 Gy. Two different polymer gel dosimeters composed of 2-hydroxyethyl-acrylate or methacrylic acid monomers mixed with N, N'-methylene-bisacrylamide (BIS), dispersed in an aqueous gelatin matrix were evaluated. Radiation-induced polymerization of the co-monomers generates a fast-relaxing insoluble polymer. Saturation of the polymer using off-resonance Gaussian RF pulses prior to a spin-echo readout with a short echo time leads to contrast that is dependent on the absorbed dose. This contrast is attributed to magnetization transfer (MT) between free water and the polymer, and direct saturation of water was found to be negligible under the prevailing experimental conditions. The usefulness of MT imaging was assessed by computing the dose resolution obtained with this technique. We found a low value of dose resolution over a wide range of doses could be obtained with a single experiment. This is an advantage over multiple spin echo (MSE) experiments using a single echo spacing where an optimal dose resolution is achieved over only very limited ranges of doses. The results suggest MT imaging protocols may be developed into a useful tool for polymer gel dosimetry.

Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation↗
PubMed2001

T1 relaxation times for viability evaluation of the engrafted and the native liver in a rat model of heterotopic auxiliary liver transplantation: a pilot study.

Following a heterotopic auxiliary liver transplantation, commonly used measurements are either invasive or non-indicative of individual viability of the coexisting engrafted and native livers. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was therefore tested for its potential to monitor the post-transplant hepatic viability in a rat model. Thirteen Wistar rats were systematically evaluated with MRI and serum biochemical liver parameters. Post-transplant complications and the causes of animal death were identified by autopsy and histo-pathological examinations. The data of the healthy survivors were compared with those of the rats that developed complications. On MRI, the hepatic complications could be depicted in the individual livers. A specific pattern of signal evolution was found in the livers of the healthy survivors: the mean T1 relaxation times of the engrafted livers increased immediately after transplantation (476 +/- 64 ms, mean +/- standard deviation, pre-operative; 730 +/- 48 ms, week 1) and then declined steadily to a 3 month value of 489 +/- 246 ms, while, following a transient first rise (476 +/- 64 ms, pre-operative; 589 +/- 28 ms, week 1), the mean T1 value of the native livers increased again 4 weeks after surgery and reached a 3 month value of 859 +/- 43 ms. However, in the rats with various complications, the mean T1 relaxation times of the engrafted livers continued to increase throughout the first post-operative month (760 +/- 48 ms, week 1; 922 +/- 76 ms, week 4), while that of the native liver only varied mildly (546 +/- 25 ms, week 1; 473 +/- 25 ms, week 4). After the first post-transplant week, the healthy engrafted livers could already be distinguished from those with complications by a significant decrease in T1 relaxation times. These data suggest that, besides demonstrating major complications, MRI may allow one to monitor the viability of each liver by analysing the relative signal intensity and T1 relaxation times after a heterotopic auxiliary liver transplantation.

Alanine Transaminase↗
PubMed2001

An isocenter position verification device for electronic portal imaging: physical and dosimetrical characteristics.

The physical and dosimetrical characteristics of a device, designed to visualize the isocenter position on electronic portal images, were examined. The device, to be mounted on the gantry head of the accelerator, containing five spheric lead markers, was designed in order to visualize the isocenter position on portal images. A quality control device was designed to check the reliability of this technique. The disturbance of the dose distribution by the markers was studied with gel dosimetry. The use of markers resulted in a precise and accurate method to visualize the isocenter on portal images. A maximum underdosage of 11%, due to attenuation by the markers, was observed. The use of markers to visualize the isocenter position on portal images, is a fast and reliable method when analyzing patient setup errors with online electronic portal imaging.

Diagnostic Imaging↗
PubMed2001

Artefacts in multi-echo T2 imaging for high-precision gel dosimetry: III. Effects of temperature drift during scanning.

In high-precision 3D gel dosimetry, long MR measurement times together with a high amount of RF energy being absorbed by the phantom are very common, and result in a spatially dependent temperature rise in the gel. As T2 of the dosimeter gel is temperature dependent, dose estimation will be affected. In this study we assess the temperature rise in the dosimeter gel by use of MR temperature mapping and computer modelling. It is shown that in conventional MR sequences. where linear k-space sampling is used, a temperature rise of 3 C results in a dose underestimation of 10% over the whole dose map. To correct for these dose errors, a compensation method involving centric k-space ordering is suggested. Computer simulations have been performed to analyse the robustness of the proposed method. Applying the compensated sequence, a temperature rise of 3 C leads to a narrow dose artefact of the order of 3% for a 'worst case' situation in which a single pixel dose gradient is assumed. Negligible deviations are found in the rest of the dose map.

Acrylamide↗
PubMed2001

On the accuracy of monomer/polymer gel dosimetry in the proximity of a high-dose-rate 192Ir source.

The aim of this work was to investigate the applicability of MR-based polymer gel dosimetry to measure the absorbed dose distribution at short distance from an iridium-192 brachytherapy point source. In this paper, different methodological problems that may result in significant errors in the measured dose distribution are discussed. First of all the extent to which physicochemical mechanisms alter the dose response is discussed. The most important among these are the oxygen permeability of the catheter material and monomer-diffusion-related effects during irradiation. The effect of oxygen on the dose-R2 curve has been determined quantitatively and an oxygen map is performed using a well-defined external irradiation beam. The effect of diffusion of monomer during irradiation has been simulated. Another contribution of errors is related to magnetic susceptibility differences between the catheter and the gel during scanning the irradiated gel. The magnetic field distortion has been mapped by using both an experimental MRI technique and by simulation. Moreover, in constructing a dose-versus-distance curve by polar averaging, the sensitivity to the exact distance between source and point of measurement and to partial volume effects is illustrated. An optimization program is proposed to determine the location of the source on a sub-pixel scale.

Acrylamide↗
PubMed2000

Validation of MR-based polymer gel dosimetry as a preclinical three-dimensional verification tool in conformal radiotherapy.

The aim of this work was to investigate MR-based polymer gel dosimetry as a three-dimensional (3D) dosimetry technique in conformal radiotherapy. A cylindrical container filled with polymer gel was placed in a water-filled torso phantom to verify a treatment plan for the conformal irradiation of a mediastinal tumor located near the esophagus. Magnetic resonance spin-spin relaxation rate images were acquired and, after calibration, converted to absorbed dose distributions. The dose maps were compared with dose distributions measured using radiographic film. The average root-mean-square structural deviation, for the complete dose distribution, amounted to less than 3% between gel and film dose maps. It may be expected that MR gel dosimetry will become a valuable tool in the verification of 3D dose distributions. The influence of imaging artifacts arising from eddy currents, temperature drift during scanning, and B1 field inhomogeneity on the dose maps was taken into account and minimized.

Acrylamide↗
PubMed2000

An investigation of the chemical stability of a monomer/polymer gel dosimeter.

The aim of this work is to investigate the temporal stability of a polyacrylamide gelatin hydrogel used for 3D monomer/polymer gel dosimetry techniques involving different methods of analysis. Long-term instabilities for a similar gel have recently been reported, but differ markedly from those described in this work. Two kinds of long-term instabilities are described. One affects the slope of the dose-R2 plot and is related to post-irradiation polymerization of the comonomer/polymer aggregates. It is observed that post-irradiation polymerization only lasts 12 hours after irradiation. The other instability affects the intercept of the dose-R2 plot, lasts for up to 30 days and is related to the gelation process of gelatin. Further studies were performed on gelatin gels of varying compositions to obtain a better understanding of the molecular mechanism that causes the instability due to gelation. The studies included observations of the spin-spin and spin-lattice relaxation rates in combination with diffusion measurements and optical measurements. It is shown that the heating history during the manufacture of the gel affects the absolute R2 value of the gel but not its variation. The findings presented in this study may help in producing more stable and reproducible monomer/polymer gel dosimeters.

Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation↗
PubMed2000

Artefacts in multi-echo T2 imaging for high-precision gel dosimetry: I. Analysis and compensation of eddy currents.

In BANG gel dosimetry, the spin-spin relaxation rate, R2 = I/T2, is related to the radiation dose that has been delivered to the gel phantom. R2 is calculated by fitting the pixel intensities of a set of differently T2-weighted base images. In gel dosimetry for radiotherapy, an accuracy of 5% in dose and 3 mm spatially, whichever is lower, is the objective. Therefore, possible sources of artefacts must be considered and dealt with. To obtain a set of base images a multiple spin-echo sequence is used. However, in a conventional MR scanner eddy currents will be provoked by switching the imaging gradients. As the eddy currents change in the course of the sequence, the net magnetization will be affected accordingly. Hence, eddy currents may have a significant influence on the quantitative R2 images themselves as well as on their slice position. In this study, we report an analysis of the eddy currents as they appear in the multiple spin-echo sequence. Eddy currents are measured using a frequency shift method resulting in eddy current field maps. The related geometrical displacements are obtained by use of a pyramidal phantom. The R2 versus dose relation is determined in the three main directions of the magnet, revealing a dependence of the measured R2 on slice orientation. The time course of eddy currents is then used in a computer simulation to estimate the effects they produce in the recorded R2 images. A compensation method for eddy current effects in multi-echo T2 mapping is described.

Acrylamide↗
PubMed1999

Clinical delivery of intensity modulated conformal radiotherapy for relapsed or second-primary head and neck cancer using a multileaf collimator with dynamic control.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Concave dose distributions generated by intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) were applied to re-irradiate three patients with pharyngeal cancer. PATIENTS, MATERIALS AND METHODS: Conventional radiotherapy for oropharyngeal (patients 1 and 3) or nasopharyngeal (patient 2) cancers was followed by relapsing or new tumors in the nasopharynx (patients 1 and 2) and hypopharynx (patient 3). Six non-opposed coplanar intensity modulated beams were generated by combining non-modulated beamparts with intensities (weights) obtained by minimizing a biophysical objective function. Beamparts were delivered by a dynamic MLC (Elekta Oncology Systems, Crawley, UK) forced in step and shoot mode. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Median PTV-doses (and ranges) for the three patients were 73 (65-78), 67 (59-72) and 63 (48-68) Gy. Maximum point doses to brain stem and spinal cord were, respectively, 67 Gy (60% of volume below 30 Gy) and 32 Gy (97% below 10 Gy) for patient 1; 60 Gy (69% below 30 Gy) and 34 Gy (92% below 10 Gy) for patient 2 and 21 Gy (96% below 10 Gy) at spinal cord for patient 3. Maximum point doses to the mandible were 69 Gy for patient 1 and 64 Gy for patient 2 with, respectively, 66 and 92% of the volume below 20 Gy. A treatment session, using the dynamic MLC, was finished within a 15-min time slot.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Three-dimensional dosimetry using polymer gel and magnetic resonance imaging applied to the verification of conformal radiation therapy in head-and-neck cancer.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: It was our aim to investigate NMR-based BANG gel dosimetry as a three-dimensional dosimetry technique in conformal radiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The BANG gel consisting of gelatin, water and co-monomers was first validated in a cylindrical glass flask for a single standard beam. Next, the gel contained in a human neck-shaped cast was used to verify a treatment plan for the conformal irradiation of a concave tumour in the lower neck. Magnetic resonance relaxation rate images were acquired and, based on an appropriate calibration of the gel, converted to absorbed dose distributions. The resulting maps were compared with dose distributions measured using radiographic film. RESULTS: The gel-measured dose profiles of standard beams agreed within 3% (root mean square difference) with the profiles measured with high spatial resolution by a diamond detector. For the multi-beam conformal treatment, the difference map between gel-measured and film-measured dose distributions revealed a noise component and a more systematic deviation including structural or space-coherent patterns. The mean absolute value of the difference amounted to 8%. A number of possible causes for this deviation are designated. CONCLUSIONS: Polymer gel dosimetry in combination with magnetic resonance imaging is a promising method for dosimetric verification of conformal radiotherapy.

Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation↗