title: Investigation of novel imaging methods using therapeutic ion beams
creator: Rinaldi, Ilaria
subject: ddc-530
subject: 530 Physics
description: Imaging techniques play an increasingly important role for treatment planning and in-situ monitoring in ion beam therapy. In this thesis, two novel methods were studied. For real-time in-vivo range verification, FLUKA Monte Carlo simulations were performed to address the detection of prompt gammas, emitted during irradiation of homogeneous and heterogeneous targets, using an ideal detector, highlighting main signal and background features relevant for clinical application. For range monitoring prior to or in-between treatment, a dedicated detector prototype based on a stack of 61 ionization chambers was assembled and its applicability to ion-based transmission imaging was investigated experimentally. Characterization of the set-up in terms of beam parameters and settings of the read-out electronics underlined the potential of heavy ion radiography and tomography as an attractive low dose imaging modality. Possible sources of image artifacts were analyzed and an original method to improve the nominal resolution of the used detector set-up was proposed. The resulting images, expressed directly in water equivalent thickness and path length, of different phantoms of increasing complexity provided a promising proof of principle of ion-based planar and volumetric imaging. Overall, the findings of this thesis strongly support the large potential of the investigated imaging techniques for future clinical use.
date: 2011
type: Dissertation
type: info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis
type: NonPeerReviewed
format: application/pdf
identifier: https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserverhttps://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/12605/1/phdthesis_ilaria_rinaldi.pdf
identifier: DOI:10.11588/heidok.00012605
identifier: urn:nbn:de:bsz:16-opus-126054
identifier:   Rinaldi, Ilaria  (2011) Investigation of novel imaging methods using therapeutic ion beams.  [Dissertation]     
relation: https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/12605/
rights: info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights: http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/help/license_urhg.html
language: eng