Seven-Probe Fiber Detector for Time-Resolved Source Tracking in HDR-Brachytherapy: Experimental Evaluation

TL;DR

This study evaluates a compact, biocompatible seven-probe scintillator detector for precise, real-time monitoring of source positions and dwell times in HDR brachytherapy, demonstrating high accuracy across various treatment configurations.

Contribution

The paper introduces and experimentally validates a novel seven-probe scintillator detector capable of accurate, real-time source tracking in HDR brachytherapy with minimal spatial and temporal deviations.

Findings

99.5% dwell position detection accuracy

Measured deviations within 0.224 mm radially and 0.077 mm axially

Dwell time measurements within 0.061 seconds of planned values

Abstract

{\bf Purpose:} This study evaluates a compact biocompatible Seven-probe Scintillator Detector (7SD) for monitoring HDR-BT treatment sequences across a range of dwell times and source-probe spacings representative of most HDR-BT techniques. {\bf Methods:} The SSD comprises seven detection cells made of Gd$_2$O$_2$S:Tb, each measuring 0.28 $\pm$ 0.02 mm in diameter and 0.43 $\pm$ 0.02 mm in length, coupled to the microstructured tips of silica optical fibers (110-micron diameter). The probes, spaced 15 mm apart along the fiber axis, are organized into a bundle with a total diameter of less than 0.45 mm. The SSD was tested using a MicroSelectron 9.1 Ci Ir-192 HDR afterloader connected to a BT stainless steel interstitial needle. Detection signals were acquired with an sCMOS camera equipped. Monitoring of dwell times and positions was performed by combining detection signals from all seven probes. {\bf Results:} A total of 4,040 dwell positions were analyzed, covering source-probe spacings from 10 to 36 mm and a source travel range of 62 mm, with dwell times ranging from 0.1 to 19.5 s. The 7SD successfully identified 99.5\% of the dwell positions. In cylindrical coordinates, the measured dwell positions deviated from the planned values by 0.224 $\pm$ 0.155 mm (radial) and 0.077 $\pm$ 0.181 mm (axial, source travel axis). The average deviation from planned dwell times was 0.006 $\pm$ 0.061 s. 99.4\% of the dwell positions were measured within the 1 mm reliability threshold. The remaining 0.6\% of deviations consistently occurred at the initial dwell position of treatment sequences and appear to stem from a systematic source positioning error by the afterloader. Additionally, the detector accurately identified intentional needle mispositioning scenarios with sub-millimeter accuracy.