200 MeV proton radiography studies with a hand phantom using a prototype proton CT scanner

Abstract

Proton radiography has applications in patient alignment and verification procedures for proton beam radiation therapy. In this paper, we report an experiment which used 200 MeV protons to generate proton energy-loss and scattering radiographs of a hand phantom. The experiment used the first-generation proton CT scanner prototype, which was installed on the research beam line of the clinical proton synchrotron at Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC). It was found that while both radiographs displayed anatomical details of the hand phantom, the energy-loss radiograph had a noticeably higher resolution. Nonetheless, scattering radiography may yield more contrast between soft and bone tissue than energy-loss radiography, however, this requires further study. This study contributes to the optimization of the performance of the next-generation of clinical proton CT scanners. Furthermore, it demonstrates the potential of proton imaging (proton radiography and CT), which is now within reach of becoming available as a new, potentially lowdose medical imaging modality.

Tracking for proton Computed Tomography

“…4 has been mounted on the LLUMC 200 MeV proton beam line and the radiography of a hand phantom has been reconstructed ( Fig. 7) [27]. The quantity plotted in Fig.…”

“…Nonetheless the RSP is the key information to set the proton beam energy to precisely reach the tumor position with the Bragg peak. Using this system an attempt to complement the WEPL measurement with the information extracted from the MCS angle inside the phantom has been pursued [27].…”

Potential applications of electron emission membranes in medicine

“…Another application of Tipsy is a tracking detector for energetic charged particles [25]. By placing a stack of thin, transparent, equidistant and parallel foils in the volume of the tracks, Cherenkov photons are created in the intersection points of tracks and foils, and being emitted under a fixed angle between the track and the photon direction.…”

Particle detector applications in medicine

“…8 shows a map of the stopping power: note the varying thickness of the hand and the clear structural details. In addition, we show the map of the scattering angle, exhibiting very similar features [44]. We are working on combining the two maps in order to extract more information of the phantom material content beyond the stopping power.…”