Feasibility of Pulsed Proton Induced Acoustics for 3D Dosimetry

Alsanea, Fahed M. M.S., Purdue University, May 2014. Feasibility of Pulsed Proton Induced Acoustics for Dosimetry. Major Professor: Keith Stantz. Proton therapy has the potential to deposit its energy in tissue with high conformity to the tumor and significantly reduced integral dose to normal tissue compared to conventional radiation, such as x-rays. As a result, local control can be enhanced while reducing side-effects and secondary cancers. This is due to the way charged Particles deposit their energy or dose, where protons form a Bragg peak and establish a well-defined distal edge as a function of depth (range). To date, the dose delivered to a patient from proton therapy remains uncertain, in particular the positioning of the distal edge of the Bragg peak and the lateral displacement of the beam. The need for quality assurance methods to monitor the delivered dose during proton therapy, in particular intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) is critical. We propose to measure the acoustic signal generated from the deposited energy from ionizing radiation, in particular a proton beam; and to investigate the feasibility of ultrasound tomographic imaging to map the three dimensional dose (3D) dose from a proton pencil beam. A pulsed proton beam in water was simulated using Monte Carlo (MC) methods, and the pressure signal resulting from the deposited dose was simulated based on the thermoacoustics wave. A cylindrical scanner design with 71 ultrasound