Wide Area Surface Dosimetry with Conformal Scintillator Array for External Beam Radiotherapy

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel wide-area scintillator array combined with stereovision and Cherenkov imaging to enable high-resolution, dynamic surface dosimetry in external beam radiotherapy, addressing limitations of existing techniques.

Contribution

The study presents a new conformable scintillator array system with integrated 3D localization and optical detection, demonstrating its accuracy, stability, and potential for clinical use in complex treatment scenarios.

Findings

High dose linearity across tested range

Minimal beam perturbation and consistent response within 5%

Gamma pass rate of 99.98% for field edge detection

Abstract

Background: In vivo dosimetry is essential for treatment verification in modern radiotherapy, but existing techniques are limited by spatiotemporal resolution and performance on non-uniform anatomy. Scintillation imaging dosimetry shows potential to address several of these limitations. Here, translation to conventional photon external beam radiotherapy was examined using a novel wide-area imaging and sensing technique. Methods: A modular scintillator array was combined with a dual-camera stereovision system for 3D localization and a clinical Cherenkov imaging system for optical scintillation detection. Water equivalent thickness, dose linearity, repetition rate stability, and angular dependence were characterized. Field edge detection was evaluated against radiochromic film using gamma analysis. System reproducibility was tested with consecutive deliveries simulating contralateral breast monitoring during whole-breast tangential radiotherapy. Results: The array showed high dose linearity across the tested range, minimal beam perturbation, and consistent response within 5% across all available LINAC repetition rates. Dose-normalized scintillation varied within 5% over clinically relevant gantry angles, and camera angle corrections compensated for non-Lambertian emission. Field edge detection agreed closely with film, with a 99.98% gamma pass rate (3%/3 mm). Inter-delivery reproducibility of +/-1 cGy demonstrated robust system performance. Conclusion: The conformable scintillator array imaging system provides spatially resolved, dynamic surface dosimetry with minimal workflow impact. Its ability to generate continuous dose maps across complex anatomical surfaces, while maintaining angular correction, addresses key limitations of current in vivo dosimetry and shows strong potential for clinical integration where wide-area surface dosimetry is required.