Dosimetric characteristics of 3D-printed and epoxy-based materials for particle therapy phantoms

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Jacob Brunner - , Medical University of Vienna, MedAustron (Author)
  • Lorenz Langgartner - , Medical University of Vienna, MedAustron (Author)
  • Hannah Danhel - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Wolfgang Birkfellner - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Christian Richter - , OncoRay - National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiooncology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) (Author)
  • Dirk Wagenaar - , University of Groningen (Author)
  • Markus Stock - , MedAustron, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences (Author)
  • Dietmar Georg - , Medical University of Vienna, MedAustron (Author)
  • Barbara Knäusl - , Medical University of Vienna, MedAustron (Author)

Abstract

Objective: 3D printing has seen use in many fields of imaging and radiation oncology, but applications in (anthropomorphic) phantoms, especially for particle therapy, are still lacking. The aim of this work was to characterize various available 3D printing methods and epoxy-based materials with the specific goal of identifying suitable tissue surrogates for dosimetry applications in particle therapy. Methods: 3D-printed and epoxy-based mixtures of varying ratios combining epoxy resin, bone meal, and polyethylene powder were scanned in a single-energy computed tomography (CT), a dual-energy CT, and a µCT scanner. Their CT-predicted attenuation was compared to measurements in a 148.2 MeV proton and 284.7 MeV/u carbon ion beam. The sample homogeneity was evaluated in the respective CT images and in the carbon beam, additionally via widening of the Bragg peak. To assess long-term stability attenuation, size and weight measurements were repeated after 6–12 months. Results: Four 3D-printed materials, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene polylactic acid, fused deposition modeling printed nylon, and selective laser sintering printed nylon, and various ratios of epoxy-based mixtures were found to be suitable tissue surrogates. The materials’ predicted stopping power ratio matched the measured stopping power ratio within 3% for all investigated CT machines and protocols, except for µCT scans employing cone beam CT technology. The heterogeneity of the suitable surrogate samples was adequate, with a maximum Bragg peak width increase of 11.5 ± 2.5%. The repeat measurements showed no signs of degradation after 6–12 months. Conclusion: We identified surrogates for soft tissue and low- to medium-density bone among the investigated materials. This allows low-cost, adaptable phantoms to be built for quality assurance and end-to-end tests for particle therapy.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number1323788
JournalFrontiers in physics
Volume12
Publication statusPublished - 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0003-4261-4214/work/177360850

Keywords

Keywords

  • adaptive, additive manufacturing, carbon ion therapy, DirectSPR, phantom, proton therapy, radiotherapy, tissue surrogate

Library keywords