SU-E-T-176: Examination of Surface Dose Enhancement Using Radiochromic EBT3-Films in a Cylindrical Setup

Purpose: This study was undertaken to optimize the measurement techniques with radiochromic EBT3 films to offer accurate surface dose measurements and at the same time high resolution depth dose curves of the backscattering from high Z materials. Methods: Radiochromic EBT3 films (Ashland ISP, Wayne, USA) were wrapped around a PET hollow cylinder with a diameter of 41.5 mm and fixed upon the surface of a lead block. The setup was immersed in water and exposed to a dose of 2 Gy at 6MV acceleration voltage using a Siemens Primus linear accelerator. Water reference measurements were undertaken under equal conditions. An Epson Expression 10000 XL flatbed scanner (Epson, Suwa, Japan) with a preset resolution of 72 dpi was used for digitization. Results: The dose enhancement could be measured with a high resolution of measurement points along the axis normal to the lead surface. A dose enhancement of 70 % was measured at a distance of 134 μm from the lead surface. The data has been compared with results presented by Das et al (Med. Phys. 16(3) (1989)) and is consistent within the uncertainty of the measurements. The results are in consistence with the results from time-tested EBT3 setups, i.e. normal-to-beam EBT3 film stacks and parallel to beam EBT3-films. Conclusion: The cylindrical film setup offers a powerful tool for surface measurements. The advantages of a stacked film setup and a parallel to beam setup could be combined