An efficient component of the redundancy calibration program to ensure equipment stability by assaying HDR Ir-192 sources at the time of replacement.

Autors de IIS La Fe

• Javier Vijande Asenjo

  Autor

• Vicente Carmona Meseguer

  Autor

• Françoise Lliso Valverde

  Autor

• Facundo Ballester Pallares

  Autor

• José Pérez Calatayud

  Autor

Grups d'Investigació

• Investigación Clínica y Traslacional en Cáncer

  

  Leader

  José Gómez Codina

• Unidad Mixta de Investigación en Radiofísica e Instrumentación nuclear en medicina

  Leader

  Facundo Ballester Pallares

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Brachytherapy (BT) treatments involving temporary high-dose rate (HDR) sources are extensively employed in clinical practice. Ensuring the consistency of all measurement equipment at the hospital level is crucial, requiring a robust redundancy and consistency program. This enables the institution to verify the stability of the dosimetry system over time. PURPOSE: To describe, justify, and analyze a component of the redundancy program of the calibration protocols followed by the Radiotherapy Department of the Hospital Universitari i Politècnic La Fe (València, Spain) during the last 10 years for the case of HDR BT as an additional component to ensure long term stability of the measurement equipment. METHODS: At the time the HDR BT source is replaced, its Air Kerma Strength (S(K)) is measured. By comparing this value with the one obtained at the time of installation (corrected by decay), a clear determination of the stability of the measurement equipment can be performed. RESULTS: Difference between S(K,vendor) and S(K,hosp) as a function of the measurement date is reported for a 10 years' period. All measurements are well within the ±3% tolerance level recommended in current international guidelines. Percentage differences of S(K,hosp) values at the time of replacement compared to S(K,hosp) ones at the time when the source was installed are within the ±0.5% range, reflecting oscillations around a null deviation. CONCLUSIONS: The method proposed allows any hospital to ensure a redundancy component of the long-term stability of all equipment involved in BT measurements in a very simple and time efficient manner. Additionally, it enables the hospital to maintain a detailed log of historical differences, facilitating the identification and correction of potential systematic deviations over time.

© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Keywords

• brachytherapy