Plastic scintillator dosimetry of ultrahigh dose-rate 200 MeV electrons at CLEAR

Very high energy electron (VHEE) beams with energies greater than 100 MeV may be promising candidates for FLASH radiotherapy due to their favourable dose distributions and accessibility of ultrahigh dose-rates (UHDR). The standard dosimeters used for conventional radiotherapy, including ionization chambers and film, have limited application to UHDR radiotherapy due to deficits in dose rate independence and temporal resolution. The performance of PSDs in this work suggest they may be useful real-time dosimeters for applications in UHDR VHEE radiotherapy.

IEEE Xplore
Alexander Hart (1), Cloé Giguère (2,6), Joseph Bateman (3,4), Pierre Korysko (3,4), Wilfrid Farabolini (3), Vilde Rieker (3,5), Nolan Esplen (1), Roberto Corsini (3), Manjit Dosanjh (3,4), Luc Beaulieu(2,6), Magdalena Bazalova-Carter (1) | 1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada, 2. Département de Physique, de génie Physique et d’optique et Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada, 3. CERN, Geneva, Switzerland, 4. Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, 5. Department of Physics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway, 6. Département de radio-oncologie et Axe Oncologie duCRCHUde Québec, CHUde Québec – Universit é Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada

Performance characterization of a novel hybrid dosimetry insert for simultaneous spatial, temporal, and motion-included dosimetry for MR-linac

The increased treatment complexity and the motion-delivery interplay during stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) on an MR-linac treatments require MR-compatible motion phantoms with time-resolved dosimeters to validate end-to-end workflows. This study demonstrates the excellent suitability of a the Medscint novel hybrid film-scintillators cassette for simultaneous multi-spatial, temporal, and motion-included dosimetry.

MEDICAL PHYSICS
Prescilla Uijtewaal (1), Pim Borman (1), Benjamin Côté (2), Yoan LeChasseur (2), François Therriault-Proulx (2), Rocco Flores (3), Stephanie Smith (3), Grant Koenig (3), Bas Raaymakers (1), Martin Fast (1) | 1. Department of Radiotherapy, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands, 2. Medscint, Québec, Quebec, Canada, 3. Modus QA, London, Ontario, Canada

Characterization of a 0.8 mm³ Medscint Plastic Scintillator Detector System for Small Field Dosimetry

The scintillator-based dosimetry system HYPERSCINT RP-200, coupled with a 0.8 mm³ plastic scintillator detector, demonstrated excellent dosimetric properties for small field radiation therapy, including good repeatability, dose linearity, and accuracy down to field sizes as small as 0.5 × 0.5 cm².

Physics in Medicine & Biology
Elena Timakova (1,2), Magdalena Bazalova-Carter (1) , Sergei Zavgorodni (2) | 1. University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, 2. BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver Island Centre, British Columbia, Canada

M-TAG: A Modular Teaching-Aid for Geant4

The article introduces M-TAG, a Geant4-based simulation tool for various physics applications, comparing it with similar tools like GATE, TOPAS, and GAMOS. M-TAG was employed to model and validate the HYPERSCINT detector’s performance. Additionally, it was used as an educational tool to teach a new user how to simulate and test the Hyperscint detector using Geant4.

Heliyon
Liam Carroll (1,2), Shirin A. Enger (1,2) | 1. Medical Physics Unit, Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 2. Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, H3T 1E2, Canada

Performance of the HYPERSCINT scintillation dosimetry research platform for the 1.5 T MR-linac

This study demonstrates the suitability of the HYPERSCINT PSD for accurate time- resolved dosimetry measurements in the 1.5 T MR-linac. The excellent performance during continuous MR scanning and during dynamic movement indicates the great potential of the detector to validate end-to-end workflows of online adaptive radiotherapy

PHYSICS IN MEDICINE & BIOLOGY
Prescilla Uijtewaal (1), Benjamin Côté (2), Thomas Foppen (1), J H Wilfred de Vries (1), Simon J Woodings (1), Pim T S Borman (1), Simon Lambert-Girard (2), François Therriault-Proulx (2), Bas W Raaymakers (1), Martin F Fast (1) | 1 – UMC Utrecht, Netherland, 2 – Medscint, Canada

Investigation of temperature dependence of inorganic scintillators using the HYPERSCINT research platform

The temperature dependence of four inorganic scintillation detectors was examined spectrally using the HYPERSCINT Research Platform 200 under 6 MV photon irradiations from a LINAC. After varying only the temperature of the detectors, all scintillators demonstrated linearity when the change in photon counts with temperature in the full-width at half maximum of their spectrum are integrated. Establishing the magnitude of the temperature dependence of the materials is critical to decide whether correction factors are required. This is especially true in applications such as brachytherapy, where detectors equilibrise to body temperature.

Radiation Measurements
Owen McLaughlin (1), Michael Martyn (1,2), Christoph Kleefeld (1), Mark Foley (1) | 1. Physics Unit, School of Natural Sciences, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland, 2. Galway Clinic, Doughiska, Galway, Ireland

Use of a Commercial Plastic Scintillation Detector for Determination of Detector-Specific Small Field Output Correction Factors of Other Detectors

The goal of this work is to determine small field output correction factors of various detectors using the HYPERSCINT plastic scintillation detector as a reference and to compare values with current available data. The simple and well understood composition and geometry of the scintillation detector make it ideal to be used as a reference detector for the evaluation of field output correction factors. Field size dependent correction factors have been extracted for different detectors and show limited discrepancies with current available data. This may potentially be attributed to inter detector variability or other methodological uncertainties in published data.

2022 AAPM ANNUAL MEETING
M.Besnier (1), F.Beaulieu (1), F.Berthiaume (1,2), Y.Cervantes Espinosa (1), B.Côté (2), S.Lambert-girard (1,2), D.Leblanc (1,2), Y.Lechasseur (2), F.Therriault-Proulx (2), L.Archambault (1), L.Beaulieu (1), L.Gingras (1) | 1- CHU de Quebec – Universite Laval, QC, Canada, 2- MEDSCINT, QC, Canada

Plastic scintillation detectors: real-time dosimetry in the MR-Linac environment.

Optical innovation meets clinical translation : in the vanguard of adaptive MR/RT research effort, the UMC Utrecht research team works with plastic scintillation detectors to bring MR-Linac treatment to the next level.

PHYSICS WORLD
| UMC Utrecht, Medscint

Plastic scintillation detectors ready to shine as FLASH radiotherapy gathers momentum.

The team of University of Victoria’s XCITE Lab are using plastic scintillation detectors to provide real-time, small-field dosimetry in their FLASH radiotherapy experiments.

PHYSICS WORLD
| University of Victoria – XCITE Lab, Medscint

First Experimental Demonstration of Time-Resolved Plastic Scintillation Dosimetry On An MR-Linac

In this study, UMC Utrecht research team demonstrates the feasibility of a hybrid experimental setup combining an innovative multipoint scintillator detector with film in a moving phantom quantifying MLC tracking for lung SBRT. The prototype cassette is capable of measuring dose (with film and 4 points scintillators simultaneously) during motion experiments, combining film dosimetry with time-resolved and absolute dosimetry.

2022 AAPM ANNUAL MEETING
P.Uijtewaal (1), P.Borman (1), B.Côté (2), Y.Lechasseur (2), J.Turcotte (2), S.Lambert-girard (2), P.Woodhead (1), S.Woodings (1), W.de Vries (1), R.Flores (3), S.Smith (3), B.Raaymakers (1), M.Fast (1) | 1 – UMC Utrecht, Netherland, 2 – Medscint, Canada, 3 – Modus Medical Devices, Canada

Comparison Between the HYPERSCINT RP200 Scintillation Detector and Other Small Field Detectors for 10MV FFF SRS Beam Modelling On a VersaHD Linear Accelerator

Plastic scintillation detectors (PSDs) have advantageous dosimetric properties, including small size and energy independence, which make them ideal candidates for small field dosimetry.

2021 AAPM ANNUAL MEETING
J.Morin, JF.Cabana, M.Goulet, D.Theriault | CISSS – Chaudiere-Appalaches, Lévis, QC, CA

Implementation and validation of beam current transformer for Mobetron ultra-high dose rate electron beam monitoring using multi-detector approach

To evaluate the performance of a custom beam current transformer (BCT) as a beam monitoring tool for the Mobetron electron radiation therapy system at ultra-high dose rates (UHDR) using a multi-detector comparison (plastic scintillators, ion chamber and film).

2022 COMP ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC MEETING
G.Famulari (1), K.Zerouali (1), J.Renaud (2), B.Muir (1), JF.Aubry (1), F.DeBlois (1), JF.Carrier (1) | 1 – Centre Hospitalier de l’Universite de Montreal (CHUM), Montreal, QC, CA, 2 – National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, CA

On the orientation independence of the HYPERSCINT scintillation dosimetry research platform in a MR-linac environment.

The purpose of this work was to characterize the HYPERSCINT scintillation dosimetry research platform in a MR-linac environment, particularly with respect to its orientation. This study shows that the HYPERSCINT scintillation dosimetry platform can be used regardless of its orientation in a magnetic field environment. Together with its linearity to dose and dose-rate, the detector shows great promises for development of dosimetry solutions dedicated to the MR-Linac environment.

2022 COMP ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC MEETING
B.Côté (1), B.Raaymakers (2), S.Woodings (2), P.Uijtewaal (2), W.de Vries (2), S.Lambert-girard (1), F.Therriault-Proulx (1), M.Fast (2) | Medscint, Canada (1), UMC Utrecht, Netherland (2)

Pre-clinical and clinical evaluation of the HYPERSCINT plastic scintillation dosimetry research platform for in vivo dosimetry during radiotherapy

The purpose of this work is to evaluate the HYPERSCINT HS-RP100 scintillation dosimetry research platform designed for clinical quality assurance (QA) for use in in vivo dosimetry measurements. The device correctly detected the treatment error when the heads were intentionally laterally shifted. In three canine clinical patients treated in multiple fractions.

J Appl Clin Med Phys. 2022
I.Schoepper (1), S.Dieterich (2), E.Alonzo Trestrail (3), M.Sean Kent (1) | Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, California, USA, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California Davis, Medical Center, Sacramento, California, USA, Pacific Crest Medical Physics, Chico, California, USA

Technical note: Characterization and practical applications of a novel plastic scintillator for online dosimetry for an ultrahigh dose rate (FLASH)

Although FLASH radiation therapy is a promising novel technique, the ultrahigh pulsed dose rates mean that experimental dosimetry is very challenging. The plastic scintillator shows a linear and reproducible response and is able to accurately measure the radiation absorbed dose delivered by 16-MeV electrons at UHPDR. The dose is measured accurately in real time with a greater level of precision than that achieved with a radiochromic film.

Med Phys. 2022
Y.Poirier (1,2), J.Xu (1), S.Mossahebi (1), F.Therriault-Proulx (3), A.Sawant (1) | 1- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Maryland, USA, 2- Department of Medical Physics, McGill University, Quebec, Canada, 3- MEDSCINT, Quebec, Canada

Patient Specific QA for External Beam Radiotherapy Using the HYPERSCINT Plastic Scintillation Detector

Plastic scintillation detectors have interesting dosimetric properties, including small size and energy independence. These advantages make them well suited for VMAT patient-specific QA, either alone or in conjunction with a detector matrix. This work aims to determine if the HYPERSCINT scintillation dosimetry research platform can replace the classic ion chamber in a clinical patient-specific QA workflow.

2020 AAPM AM
M.Goulet | CISSS – Chaudiere-Appalaches, Lévis, QC, CA

Characterization of the HYPERSCINT Dosimetry System for Real-Time Dosimetry Measurements with the Varian TrueBeamLinac

Plastic scintillator/optical fibre dosimetry systems are advantageous due to their near water equivalence, waterproof construction, linear dose response, and good spatial resolution due to their small size. The nanosecond decay times of plastic scintillators enable the possibility of real-time dosimetry. We tested the new HYPERSCINT fibre detector system to determine if, in addition to the expected dose and field size responses, this system can provide real-time dose information. The HYPERSCINT system is suitable after appropriate calibration to be used to measure relative dose delivered in cGy as well as indicate changing dose conditions within 0.3 seconds.

2020 AAPM AM
C.Penner (1,2), C.Hoehr (2), C.Mendez (1), C.Duzenli (1) | BC Cancer, Vancouver, BC, CA, TRIUMF, Vancouver, BC, CA

Brachytherapy Technique Commissioning Using the HYPERSCINT Plastic Scintillation Detector

Accurate dosimetry in brachytherapy is not an easy task, as most detectors exhibit volume averaging or energy dependence reducing their usability. Free from these limitations are plastic scintillation detectors, which makes them well suited for brachytherapy applications, either for in vivo dosimetry or commissioning. This work aims to determine if the HYPERSCINT scintillation dosimetry research platform can be used for brachytherapy dose measurement in the context of commissioning a new brachytherapy technique.

2020 AAPM ANNUAL MEETING
M.Goulet, N.Octave, P.Duguay-drouin | CISSS – Chaudiere-Appalaches, Lévis, QC, CA

Characterization of a Novel Plastic Scintillator for Instant Real- Time Dosimetry in Electron FLASH-RT

Purpose was to characterize and validate the novel HYPERSCINT RP100 plastic dosimeter as a direct pulse counter and investigate its use as a real-time in-vivo dosimeter in FLASH-RT radiobiological experiments. In conclusions, the HYPERSCINT RP100 dosimeter accurately measured the delivered radiation absorbed dose under both characterization and biological experimental conditions, with a higher degree of reliability than conventional radiochromic film. Furthermore, its 500 Hz measurement frequency could directly and accurately measure the number of pulses delivered in real time. This shows its potential for real-time in-vivo dosimetry to verify accurate delivery during biological experiments and clinical treatments.

2021 COMP ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC MEETING
Y.Poirier (1), J.Xu (1), A.Ahmady (1), S.Mossahebi (1), H.Zhang (1), F.Therriault-Proulx (2), A.Sawant (1) | 1- University of Maryland School of Medicine, MD, USA , 2- McGill University, QC, Canada, 3- MEDSCINT, QC, Canada

Precise Pulse Delivery Control Using Monitor Units in Electron FLASH-RT

In electron FLASH-RT, precise delivery of the correct number of pulses is critical to accurate dose administration in preclinical radiobiological studies. This work investigates the use of LINAC monitor ion chambers to most precisely control FLASH pulse delivery. Calibrated plastic scintillation detector and EBT-XD Gafchromic films were used for online and passive dosimetry, respectively. The plastic scintillation detector also served as a direct pulse counter.

2021 AAPM ANNUAL MEETING
J.Xu, Y.Poirier, A.Sawant | University of Maryland School of Medicine, MD, USA

Novel Plastic Scintillator for Online Dosimetry in Electron FLASH-RT

The accurate delivery of electrons at FLASH-RT dose rates in radiobiological experiments require new dosimeters that are capable of accurately measuring the radiation dose delivered at >0.55 Gy per pulse (>100 Gy/s) in real-time. The novel HYPERSCINT RP100 plastic dosimeter was able to accurately measure the delivered radiation absorbed dose under characterization and biological experimental conditions, with a higher degree of reliability than conventional radiochromic film. Furthermore, it was shown to directly and accurately measure the number of pulses delivered in real time. This shows potential for use as a real-time in-vivo dosimeter during biological experiments, as well as potential clinical applications.

2021 AAPM ANNUAL MEETING
Y.Poirier (1), J.Xu (1), A.Ahmady (1), S.Mossahebi (1), H.Zhang (1), F.Therriault-Proulx (2), A.Sawant (1) | 1- University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA , 2- MEDSCINT, QC, CANADA

Investigation of the HyperscintTM Plastic Scintillation Dosimetry System Performance in a 15 MeV electron beam at FLASH dose rates

The performance of the HYPERSCINT plastic scintillation dosimetry system in a 15 MeV electron beam operating at FLASH dose rates was investigated. The linac produced a 15 MeV electron FLASH beam with an average dose rate of ~250 Gy/s and dose per pulse between 1 Gy and 1.7 Gy, at the level just above the multi-leaf collimator. The HYPERSCINT plastic scintillator detector system agreed with OSLDs within 3.5% for 10 to 20 pulse FLASH deliveries using the standard dose rate calibration for both dosimeters.

2021 COMP ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC MEETING
C.Mendez, P.Petric, T.Karan, C.Duzenli | BC Cancer, Vancouver, BC, CA

Investigations of a Novel HyperscintTM Plastic Scintillator Detector and Hyperspectral Analysis Approach in a 74 MeV Proton Beam

The HYPERSCINT novel plastic scintillator with spectral analysis approach dosimetry system shows potential for dose measurement in a 74 MeV proton beam with negligible stem effect. The Cerenkov free spectrum may be used to facilitate calibration of the device in MV x-ray beams to improve Cerenkov removal and performance in small field dosimetry.

2021 AAPM ANNUAL MEETING
C.Duzenli (1), C.Hoehr (2), C.Belanger-champagne (2, C.Penner (3), V.Strgar (3) | 1- BC Cancer, BC, CANADA, 2- TRIUMF, BC, CANADA, 3- University of British Columbia, BC, CANADA

EFLASH Dosimetry On a Conventional Linac Using Pulse-Gated Delivery

To build on previous experiments and improve reproducibility of electron FLASH delivery on a conventional linear accelerator, a pulse-gating circuit was constructed and tested with several dosimeters including : a 0.01cc volume ion chamber, optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters (OSLDs), Gafchromic MD film and a novel plastic scintillation detector with spectral analysis (HYPERSCINT).

2021 AAPM ANNUAL MEETING
C.Duzenli, C.Mendez, M.Petric, J.Sweeney, D.Ta, T.Karan | BC Cancer, Vancouver, BC, CANADA

On the nature of the light produced within PMMA optical light guides in scintillation fiber-optic dosimetry

The goal of this study was to evaluate the nature of the stem effect light produced within an optical fiber, to quantify its composition, and to evaluate the efficiency of the chromatic technique to remove the stem effect. The chromatic stem effect removal technique is accurate in most of the situations. However, noticeable differences were obtained between very specific high-energy irradiation conditions. It would be advantageous to implement an additional channel in the chromatic stem effect removal chain or implement a spectral approach to independently remove the Cerenkov and the fluorescence components from the signal of interest. This would increase the accuracy and versatility of the actual chromatic stem effect removal technique.

PHYSICS IN MEDICINE & BIOLOGY
F.Therriault-Proulx (1)(2), L.Beaulieu (2)(3), L.Archambault (2)(3), S.Beddar (4)(1) | 1- Department of Radiation Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA, 2- Département de Physique, de Génie Physique et d’Optique, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada, 3- Département de Radio-Oncologie, Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Québec, Canada

On the use of a single-fiber multipoint plastic scintillation detector for 192Ir high-dose-rate brachytherapy

The goal of this study was to prove the feasibility of using a single-fiber multipoint plastic scintillation detector as an in vivo verification tool during (192)Ir high-dose-rate brachytherapy treatments. The use of a multipoint plastic scintillation detector for high-dose-rate brachytherapy dosimetry is feasible. This detector shows great promise for development of in vivo applications for real-time verification of treatment delivery.

MEDICAL PHYSICS
F.Therriault-Proulx, S.Beddar, L.Beaulieu | Department of Radiation Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

Development of a novel multi-point plastic scintillation detector with a single optical transmission line for radiation dose measurement

The goal of this study was to develop a novel multi-point plastic scintillation detector capable of measuring the dose accurately at multiple positions simultaneously using a single optical transmission line. This study demonstrates the practical feasibility of multi-point plastic scintillation detector. This type of detector could be very useful for pre-treatment quality assurance applications as well as an accurate tool for real-time in vivo dosimetry.

PHYSICS IN MEDICINE & BIOLOGY
F.Therriault-Proulx, L.Archambault, L.Beaulieu, S.Beddar | Department of Radiation Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA, Département de Physique, de Génie Physique et d’Optique, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada, Département de Radio-Oncologie, Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Québec, Canada

Review of plastic and liquid scintillation dosimetry for photon, electron, and proton therapy

While scintillation dosimetry has been around for decades, the need for a dosimeter tailored to the reality of modern radiation therapy-in particular a real-time, water-equivalent, energy-independent dosimeter with high spatial resolution-has generated renewed interest in scintillators over the last 10 years. This topical review is intended to provide the medical physics community with a wide overview of scintillation physics, related optical concepts, and applications of plastic scintillation dosimetry.

PHYSICS IN MEDICINE & BIOLOGY
L Beaulieu (1,2), S Beddar (3,4) | 1- Département de physique, génie physique et optique, et Centre de recherche sur le cancer, Université Laval, Québec, CA , 2- Département de radio-oncologie et Axe Oncologie du CRCHU de Québec, QC, CA, 3- Department of Radiation Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA, 4- The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston, Houston, TX, USA

Water-equivalent plastic scintillation detectors for high-energy beam dosimetry: II. Properties and measurements

The properties of a new scintillation detector system for use in dosimetry of high-energy beams in radiotherapy have been measured. The most important properties of these detectors are their hgh spatial resolution and their nearly water-equivalence.

PHYSICS IN MEDICINE & BIOLOGY
A.S. Beddar, T.R. Mackie, F.H. Attix | Depanment of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, Wl, USA

Water-equivalent plastic scintillation detectors for high-energy beam dosimetry: I. Physical characteristics and theoretical consideration

A minimally perturbing plastic scintillation detector has been developed for the dosimetry of high-energy beams in radiotherapy. The detector system consists of two identical parallel sets of radiation-resistant optical fibre bundles, each connected to independent photomultiplier tubes.

PHYSICS IN MEDICINE & BIOLOGY
A.S. Beddar, T.R. Mackie, F.H. Attix | Depanment of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, Wl, USA

A method to correct for temperature dependence and measure simultaneously dose and temperature using a plastic scintillation detector

Plastic scintillation detectors work well for radiation dosimetry. However, they show some temperature dependence, and a priori knowledge of the temperature surrounding the plastic scintillation detectors is required to correct for this dependence.

PHYSICS IN MEDICINE & BIOLOGY
F.Therriault-Proulx, L.Wooton, S.Beddar | Department of Radiation Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

Beam matching for small-field dosimetry applications using accelerator solenoid current and a miniature plastic scintillation detector.

The goal of this work is to determine the optimal accelerator solenoid current (ASOL) that minimizes the spread of measured small field output factor (OF) values between a series of machines. Small field OF measurements of 6 MV flattening filtered beams from 3 Varian TrueBeam linear accelerators were performed using a 1 mm diameter by 1 mm length plastic scintillation detector HYPERSCINT HS-RP200 research platform. In conclusion Small field dosimetry characteristics are highly sensitive to beam focal spot size. and the possibility to optimize accelerator focusing coil current to reduce OF and penumbra width spread enables new avenues in beam matching of series of machines, especially for SRS and SBRT techniques.

2022 COMP ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC MEETING
L.Gingras (1), F.Beaulieu (1), M.Besnier (1), B.Côté (2), D.Leblanc (2), L.Beaulieu (1), L.Archambault (1) | 1- CHU de Québec – Université Laval, QC, CA, 2- MEDSCINT, QC, CA

FLASH Irradiation of Drosophila Melanogaster Using Low Energy X-Rays

To investigate the capability of low energy x-rays to elicit the FLASH effect, Drosophila melanogaster larvae were irradiated with ultrahigh dose-rate and conventional radiotherapy dose rates using an inexpensive x-ray tube system. Dosimetry was performed with plastic scintillators and radiochromic film, and the differential survival observed in this work suggests that continuous 120 kVp x-rays can induce a FLASH effect.

2022 AAPM ANNUAL MEETING
A.Hart, J.Dudzic, J.Eby, S.Perlman, M.Bazalova-Carter | University of Victoria, Victoria, BC ,CA

Orthovoltage to Monoenergetic Photon Beam Energy Correction Factor for HyperScint Scintillation Dosimeter

The scintillator dosimetry system is a small-field dosimeter with reported energy independence down to 100-keV. This work investigates the energy dependence of the scintillator between a monoenergetic photon source and polyenergetic orthovoltage beam.

2022 AAPM ANNUAL MEETING
B. Insley, D. Bartkoski, L. Che Fru, M. Salehpour | M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

Dosimetric Characterization of the ARIEL 10 MV X-Ray Ultrahigh Dose-Rate (FLASH) Irradiation Platform at TRIUMF

The purpose was to characterize the beam delivery capabilities and dose rates achievable on the new ultrahigh dose-rate 10MV x-ray irradiation platform at TRIUMF. Beam commissioning and dosimetry have been conducted on the ARIEL x-ray FLASH irradiation platform using film doses and scintillators. Measured dose rates support that the 10MV x-ray beam may be used as a UHDR source compatible with FLASH radiobiological experiments.

2022 AAPM ANNUAL MEETING
N.Esplen (1), L.Egoriti (2), T.Planche (3), A.Hart (1), B.Paley (3), C.Hoehr (3), A.Gottberg (3), M.Bazalova-Carter (1) | 1- University of Victoria, BC ,CA, 2- University of British Columbia, BC, CA, 3- TRIUMF, BC, CA

Plastic Scintillation Detector for Dosimetric Characterization of Mobetron Ultra-High Dose Rate Electron Beam

The purpose is to present commissioning data for the MOBETRON electron radiation therapy system (IntraOp) at ultra-high dose rate using the HYPERSCINT plastic scintillation detector. The suitability of using a plastic scintillator as an active dosimeter for commissioning measurements of an ultra-high dose rate electron beam has been demonstrated (reference dosimetry, DPP, beam penetration, linearity with number of pulses, linearity with PW and short-term output stability).

2022 AAPM ANNUAL MEETING
G.Famulari (1), K.Zerouali (1), O.Piron (1), JF.Aubry (1), F.DeBlois (1), JF.Carrier (2) | 1- Centre Hospitalier de l’Universite de Montreal (CHUM), Montreal, QC, CA, 2- Departement de Physique, Universite de Montreal, Montreal, QC, CA

A Novel Multi-Headed Scintillation Detector for Fast and Efficient Dose Measurements at Multiple Locations Simultaneously

To develop and quantify the performances of a novel multi-point scintillation detector having multiple heads connected to the same optical line, allowing real-time dose measurements simultaneously at 3 positions in non-contiguous space.

2022 AAPM ANNUAL MEETING
B.Lessard (1,2), Y.Lechasseur (3), S.Lambert-girard (3), F.Therriault-Proulx (3), L.Beaulieu (1,2), L.Archambault (1,2) | 1- Département de physique, génie physique et optique, et Centre de recherche sur le cancer, Université Laval, Québec, CA , 2- CHU de Quebec – Universite Laval, QC, Canada, 3- MEDSCINT, QC, Canada

Quantifying the DNA-damaging Effects of FLASH Irradiation With Plasmid DNA

The objective is to investigate a plasmid DNA nicking assay approach for isolating and quantifying the DNA-damaging effects of ultrahigh-dose-rate (ie FLASH) irradiation relative to conventional dose-rate irradiation. The doses and dose rates were verified independently using EBT-XD Gafchromic film placed directly above the DNA-based phantom and HYPERSCINT high temporal resolution plastic scintillator placed immediately beside the DNA phantoms (both phantoms had been previously calibrated at conventional dose rates and validated at FLASH-RT dose rates).

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RADIATION ONCOLOGY, BIOLOGY, PHYSICS
A.Perstin (1), Y.Poirier (2), A.Sawant (2), M.Tambasco (1) | 1- Department of Physics, San Diego State University, CA, USA, 2- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Maryland, USA

External beam irradiation angle measurement using Cerenkov emission

In this study, we propose a novel approach designed to take advantage of the Cerenkov angular dependency to perform a direct measurement of an external beam radiation angle of incidence. The detector offers promising perspectives for external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy applications.

MEDICAL PHYSICS
E.Jean (1,2,3), S.Lambert-girard (4), F.Therriault-Proulx (4), L.Beaulieu (1,2) | 1- Département de physique, génie physique et optique, et Centre de recherche sur le cancer, Université Laval, QC, Canada, 2- Département de radio-oncologie et Axe Oncologie du CRCHU de Québec, QC, CA, 3- Département de radio-oncologie du CIUSSS-MCQ, CHAUR de Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada, 4- MEDSCINT, QC, Canada

Characterization of an x‐ray tube‐based ultrahigh dose‐rate system for in vitro irradiations.

To present an x-ray tube system capable of in vitro ultrahigh dose-rate (UHDR) irradiation of small < 0.3 mm samples and to characterize it by means of a plastic scintillation detector (PSD).

Med Phys. 2021
D.Cecchi (1), F.Therriault-Proulx (2), S.Lambert-girard (2), A.Hart (1), A.Macdonald (1), M.Pfleger (1), M.Lenckowski (1), M.Bazalova-Carter (1) | Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, MedScint, QC, CA

Comparative optic and dosimetric characterization of the HYPERSCINT scintillation dosimetry research platform for multipoint applications

This study introduces the HYPERSCINT research platform (HYPERSCINT-RP100, Medscint Inc., Quebec, Canada), the first commercially available scintillation dosimetry platform capable of multi-point dosimetry through the hyperspectral approach.

Phys Med Biol. 2021
E.Jean (1,2,3), F.Therriault-Proulx (4), L.Beaulieu (1,2) | Département de physique, génie physique et optique, et Centre de recherche sur le cancer, Université Laval, Québec, CA , Département de radio-oncologie et Axe Oncologie du CRCHU de Québec, QC, CA, Département de radio-oncologie du CIUSSS-MCQ, CHAUR de Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada, MedScint, QC, CA

Pre-Clinical and Clinical Evaluation of the HYPERSCINT Scintillation Dosimetry Research Platform

The purpose of this work is to evaluate the HYPERSCINT scintillation dosimetry research platform (Medscint Inc., Quebec City, Canada) designed for clinical QA for use in in-vivo dosimetry measurements.

2020 AAPM AM
I.Schoepper, E.Trestrail, S.Dieterich, M.Kent | WR Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine UC Davis School Of Veterinary Medicine, Pacific Crest Medical Physics ,Chico, CA, UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, Surgical and Radiological Sciences, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, CA

Dosimetric Characterization of the HYPERSCINT Scintillation Dosimetry Research Platform for Multipoint Applications

Multipoint detectors are very interesting toward developing new phantoms and making measurements in constrained space. This study aims at assessing the performance of the HYPERSCINT dosimetry research platform (Medscint inc., Québec, Canada) with a high spatial resolution 3-point plastic scintillation detector for application to high energy photon beam dosimetry.

2020 AAPM AM
E.Jean, F.Therriault-Proulx, L.Beaulieu | CHU de Quebec – Universite Laval, QC, CA, Medscint, QC, CA , Centre Hospitalier Univ de Québec, Québec, QC, CA

Development of An Automated Routine for Finding the Precise Location of Scintillators Elements and Their Emission Spectrum in a Multi-Point Scintillation Detector

The goal of this study is to develop an approach allowing for calibration of multi-point scintillation detector (mPSD) using only the photon beam from a linear accelerator such that it doesn’t depend on the availability of other irradiation modalities (e.g. orthovoltage irradiators). This study also aims at determining an experimental method to validate the spatial position of the different scintillators within the mPSD.

2020 AAPM AM
B.Lessard (1,2), F.Larose (1,2), F.Berthiaume (1,2,3), S.Lambert-girard (1,2,3), F.Therriault-Proulx (3), L.Archambault (1,2) | Département de physique, génie physique et optique, et Centre de recherche sur le cancer, Université Laval, Québec, CA , CHU de Quebec – Universite Laval, QC, CA, MedScint, QC, CA

Feasibility of Plastic Scintillator Dosimeters for FLASH Therapy

To examine the capabilities of plastic scintillator dosimeters (PSDs) to accurately measure FLASH radiotherapy dose rates delivered with an x-ray tube.

2020 AAPM AM
D.Cecchi (1), F.Therriault-Proulx (2), M.Bazalova-Carter (1) | University of Victoria, Victoria, BC ,CA,, Medscint, QC, CA

Development and characterization of an optical fiber-based Cerenkov dosimeter

This study introduces a novel hybrid Cerenkov-scintillation dosimeter

2021 COMP ASM
E.Jean (1,2,3), S.Lambert-girard (3), F.Therriault-Proulx (3), L.Beaulieu (1,2) | CHU de Quebec – Universite Laval, QC, CA, Département de radio-oncologie et Axe Oncologie du CRCHU de Québec, QC, CA, MedScint, QC, CA

Small field dosimetry of a Varian TrueBeam High Definition MLC linear accelerator using theHyperscint RP200 scintillation detector.

To evaluate the performance of the new Hyperscint RP200 plastic scintillator for small field measurements of a Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator in comparison with the current state-of-the-art methodology in the clinic.

2021 COMP ASM
L.Gingras, B.Côté, F.Berthiaume, S.Lambert-Girard, D.Leblanc, L.Archambault, L.Beaulieu, F.Therriault-Proulx | CHU de Quebec – Universite Laval, QC, CA, Département de radio-oncologie et Axe Oncologie du CRCHU de Québec, QC, CA, MedScint, QC, CA

Development of a Novel Hybrid Scintillation-Cerenkov Detector for Simultaneous Dose and Irradiation Angle Measurements

This study introduces a novel hybrid detector capable of simultaneous dose and direct irradiation angle measurements based on Cerenkov angular dependency.

2021 AAPM AM
E.Jean (1,2), S.Lambert-girard (3), F.Therriault-Proulx (3), L.Beaulieu (1) | CHU de Quebec – Universite Laval, QC, CA, CHAUR, Trois-Rivieres, QC, CA , MedScint, QC, CA

Plastic and Lead-Doped Scintillators for Ultrahigh Dose-Rate Irradiations Delivered with An X-Ray Tube

To examine the capabilities of plastic scintillators of different compositions to accurately measure dose in high dose-rate dose irradiations delivered with an x-ray tube.

2021 AAPM AM
D.Cecchi (1), C.Gigeure (2), F.Larose (2), F.Therriault-Proulx (3), L.Beaulieu (2), M.Bazalova-Carter (1) | University of Victoria, Victoria, BC ,CA,, CHU de Quebec – Universite Laval, QC, CA, MedScint, QC, CA

Evaluation of scintillation detectors for ultrahigh dose-rate x-ray beam dosimetry

FLASH-Radiotherapy is an emerging ultrahigh dose rates radiotherapy technique, and animal studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of the technique in cancer treatment. A reliable real-time dosimeter system is crucial for the characterization of the so-called ‘FLASH-effect’, and an accurate beam delivery. This study aims to benchmark the performance of optical fiber inorganic scintillating detectors (ISDs) with plastic scintillating detectors (PSDs) for an ultrahigh dose-rate x-ray beam irradiation. Measurements includes : relative scintillator output, signal linearity with dose and dose rate, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), signal stability and reliability.

The PSDs resulted in the highest reliability for a UHDR beam measurement with a CV of <0.1% while the Gd2O2S:Tb showed excellent repeatability (coefficient of variation (CV) <0.1%) compared to other detectors. All detectors showed good linearity with tube current (R2 < 0.975) and shutter exposure (R2 >0.999).

Proc Spie
Shahirah Shaharuddin (1), Alexander Hart (2), Magdalena Bazalova-Carter (2), Luc Beaulieu (3), Cloe Giguere (3), Christoph Kleefeld (1), Mark J. Foley (1) | 1. National University of Ireland, Galway (Ireland), 2. University of Victoria (Canada), 3 University Laval (Canada)