NIPAM polymer gel dosimetry for IMRT four-field box irradiation using optical-CT scanner

The study assessed the dosimetric characteristics of the N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) polymer gel dosimeter. Experiments on the intra-dosimeter consistency and reproducibility of NIPAM polymer gels were performed. A cylindrical NIPAM gel phantom measuring 10 cm (diameter) by 10 cm (height) by 3 mm (thickness) was irradiated using the four-field box treatment with a field size of 3 cm x 3 cm. A fast, optical computerized tomography scanner was used to scan the gel phantoms. The results showed that the dose profiles were consistent at various depths. The isodose lines agreed quantitatively with the calculated TPS dose and the measured NIPAM polymer gel dose within the 30 to 90 percentage isodose lines. In addition, the Gamma pass rates were determined to be 94.9%, 95.2%, and 95.7% at depths of 40 mm, 45 mm, and 50 mm, respectively, using 5% dose difference and 5 mm distance-to-agreement criteria. Using the same Gamma criteria, the Gamma pass rates were 95.1%, 95.3%, and 95.7% for the three replicated. The results indicated that the NIPAM polymer gel dosimeter was stable and reliable. The dosimetric characteristics highlighted the potential of NIPAM polymer gel dosimeter in radiotherapy.