Physical wedge as a tool for radiochromic film calibration

Reliable calibration is one of the major challenges in using radiochromic films (RCF) for radiation dosimetry. In this study the feasibility of using dose gradients produced by a physical wedge (PW) for RCF calibration was investigated. The aim was to establish an efficient and reproducible method f...

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Main Authors: Stevan Pecić, Miloš Vićić, Ivan Belča, Strahinja Stojadinović, Borko Nidžović, Ljubomir Kurij, Slobodan Dević
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-05-01
Series:Zeitschrift für Medizinische Physik
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939388923000776
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author Stevan Pecić
Miloš Vićić
Ivan Belča
Strahinja Stojadinović
Borko Nidžović
Ljubomir Kurij
Slobodan Dević
author_facet Stevan Pecić
Miloš Vićić
Ivan Belča
Strahinja Stojadinović
Borko Nidžović
Ljubomir Kurij
Slobodan Dević
author_sort Stevan Pecić
collection DOAJ
description Reliable calibration is one of the major challenges in using radiochromic films (RCF) for radiation dosimetry. In this study the feasibility of using dose gradients produced by a physical wedge (PW) for RCF calibration was investigated. The aim was to establish an efficient and reproducible method for calibrating RCF using a PW. Film strips were used to capture the wedge dose profile for five different exposures and the acquired scans were processed to generate corresponding net optical density wedge profiles. The proposed method was compared to the benchmark calibration, following the guidelines for precise calibration using uniform dose fields. The results of the benchmark comparison presented in this paper showed that using a single film strip for measuring wedge dose profile is sufficient for estimating a reliable calibration curve within the recorded dose range. Furthermore, the PW calibration can be extrapolated or extended by using multiple gradients for the optimal coverage of the desired calibration dose range. The method outlined in this paper can be readily replicated using the equipment and expertise commonly found in a radiotherapy center. Once the dose profile and central axis attenuation coefficient of the PW are determined, they can serve as a reference for a variety of calibrations using different types and batches of film. This investigation demonstrated that the calibration curves obtained with the presented PW calibration method are within the bounds of the measurement uncertainty evaluated for the conventional uniform dose field calibration method.
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spelling doaj-art-0796b8512ea54b1885126ef23d3b66b22025-08-20T01:52:22ZengElsevierZeitschrift für Medizinische Physik0939-38892025-05-0135216116810.1016/j.zemedi.2023.05.008Physical wedge as a tool for radiochromic film calibrationStevan Pecić0Miloš Vićić1Ivan Belča2Strahinja Stojadinović3Borko Nidžović4Ljubomir Kurij5Slobodan Dević6Faculty of Physics, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 12-16, Belgrade 11000, Serbia; Corresponding author: Stevan Pecić, Faculty of Physics, University of Belgrade, Studentski Trg 12-16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.Faculty of Physics, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 12-16, Belgrade 11000, SerbiaFaculty of Physics, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 12-16, Belgrade 11000, SerbiaDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75390, TX, United StatesInstitute of Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, Pasterova 14, Belgrade 11000, SerbiaUniversity Clinical Center of Serbia, Center for Neurooncology, Gamma Knife, Koste Todorovića 4, Belgrade 11000, SerbiaMedical Physics Unit, McGill University, Montreal H4A 3J1, QC, Canada; Department of Radiation Oncology, SMBD Jewish General Hospital, Montreal H3T 1E2, QC, CanadaReliable calibration is one of the major challenges in using radiochromic films (RCF) for radiation dosimetry. In this study the feasibility of using dose gradients produced by a physical wedge (PW) for RCF calibration was investigated. The aim was to establish an efficient and reproducible method for calibrating RCF using a PW. Film strips were used to capture the wedge dose profile for five different exposures and the acquired scans were processed to generate corresponding net optical density wedge profiles. The proposed method was compared to the benchmark calibration, following the guidelines for precise calibration using uniform dose fields. The results of the benchmark comparison presented in this paper showed that using a single film strip for measuring wedge dose profile is sufficient for estimating a reliable calibration curve within the recorded dose range. Furthermore, the PW calibration can be extrapolated or extended by using multiple gradients for the optimal coverage of the desired calibration dose range. The method outlined in this paper can be readily replicated using the equipment and expertise commonly found in a radiotherapy center. Once the dose profile and central axis attenuation coefficient of the PW are determined, they can serve as a reference for a variety of calibrations using different types and batches of film. This investigation demonstrated that the calibration curves obtained with the presented PW calibration method are within the bounds of the measurement uncertainty evaluated for the conventional uniform dose field calibration method.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939388923000776Radiochromic film dosimetryEBT3CalibrationDose gradientsPhysical wedge
spellingShingle Stevan Pecić
Miloš Vićić
Ivan Belča
Strahinja Stojadinović
Borko Nidžović
Ljubomir Kurij
Slobodan Dević
Physical wedge as a tool for radiochromic film calibration
Zeitschrift für Medizinische Physik
Radiochromic film dosimetry
EBT3
Calibration
Dose gradients
Physical wedge
title Physical wedge as a tool for radiochromic film calibration
title_full Physical wedge as a tool for radiochromic film calibration
title_fullStr Physical wedge as a tool for radiochromic film calibration
title_full_unstemmed Physical wedge as a tool for radiochromic film calibration
title_short Physical wedge as a tool for radiochromic film calibration
title_sort physical wedge as a tool for radiochromic film calibration
topic Radiochromic film dosimetry
EBT3
Calibration
Dose gradients
Physical wedge
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939388923000776
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