Phantom development and implementation for Gamma Knife® dosimetry

Abstract

Stereotactic radiosurgery is a procedure that primarily treats intracranial lesions to destroy tumour cells that are inaccessible surgically. Gamma Knife® is a stereotactic radiosurgery unit that can treat brain lesions using 60Co beams, non-invasively. Fields from Gamma Knife® helmets are considered small, therefore, in order to ensure accurate dosimetry, detectors for dose measurements have to be carefully chosen. The IAEA TRS 483 code of practice is a standardized guide for dosimetric procedures and indication of detectors for reference dosimetry of small fields used in radiotherapy beams. The objective of this work was to assess the implementation of the TRS 483 recommendations for Gamma Knife® dosimetry, using two micro-ionization chambers, Exradin A16 and PTW Pinpoint 3D 31016. An acrylic phantom with the same dimensions as those provided by Elekta, Gamma Knife’s manufacturer, was built as an alternative. The phantom was characterized for its implementation for Gamma Knife® dosimetry and to be used as part of an audit kit by a Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory (SSDL) in Brazil. Alanine pellets were used as reference detector. Dosimetry results for the acrylic phantom were compared with the ones obtained in phantoms specified by Elekta, which are made of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and Solid Water materials. TRS 483 recommended correction factors were used to calculate the absorbed dose to the water taking into consideration the phantom material. Absorbed dose measurements performed using the designed acrylic phantom showed results comparable to the ones obtained with commercially available phantoms. The new phantom is suitable for Gamma Knife reference and relative dosimetry. The results of this work aim to contribute to the implementation of the TRS 483, mainly in the area of Gamma Knife dosimetry and the use of small volume ionization chambers.