Heavy metal in radiation therapy: A simple method to differentiate hip prosthesis materials.

Background: In recent years, the number of hip replacement patients receiving radiation therapy has steadily increased. In parallel, strategies have been developed to reduce metal artifacts in computed tomography (CT) images and improve the accuracy of dose calculation algorithms. However, in certain situations, knowledge of the type of prosthesis material is required to accurately determine the dose distribution.

Post-mastectomy radiotherapy: Impact of bolus thickness and irradiation technique on skin dose.

Purpose: To determine 10 MV IMRT and VMAT based protocols with a daily bolus targeting a skin dose of 45 Gy in order to replace the 6 MV tangential fields with a 5 mm thick bolus on alternate days method for post-mastectomy radiotherapy.

Method: We measured the mean surface dose along the chest wall PTV as a function of different bolus thicknesses for sliding window IMRT and VMAT plans. We analyzed surface dose profiles and dose homogeneities and compared them to our standard 6 MV strategy.

Radiation exposure using the O-arm surgical imaging system.

Purpose: This study was conducted to characterise the O-arm surgical imaging system in terms of patient organ doses and medical staff occupational exposure during three-dimensional thoracic spine and pelvic examinations.

Methods: An anthropomorphic phantom was used to evaluate absorbed organ doses during a three-dimensional thoracic spine scan and a three-dimensional pelvic scan with the O-arm. Staff occupational exposure was evaluated by constructing an ambient dose cartography of the operating theatre during a three-dimensional pelvic scan as well as using an anthropomorphic phantom to simulate the O-arm operator.