Radiation dose measuring device

Abstract

The utility model provides a radiation dose measuring device, according to a specific embodiment, the radiation dose measuring device comprises a water tank; the measuring frame comprises a plurality of side walls and is accommodated in the water tank; and a film cassette placed on the measurement frame and configured to accommodate or clamp a film for dose measurement. The radiation dose measuring device provided by the utility model can be used for measuring bag-shaped and tubular dose distribution in water and accurately evaluating the dosimetric characteristics of ray beams.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model generally relates to the field of radiation dose measurement, and in particular to a device for measuring the dose characteristics of a ray beam. Background Art

[0002] Radiotherapy is one of the important means of tumor treatment at present, and it plays an important role in the field of tumor treatment. High-energy electron beam is one of the radiation beams commonly used in external beam radiotherapy, and its frequency of use is second only to X (γ) ray beam. Due to its limited range, electron beam can effectively avoid irradiating normal tissue behind the target area. The maximum treatment depth is generally no more than 3cm, and it is often used to treat superficial tumors.

[0003] Electron beams can be used for external beam radiotherapy and intraoperative radiotherapy beams, which require a light-limiting tube to limit the electron beam irradiation to a certain area. However, electron linear accelerators can only produce dose distributions that are planar when equipped with conventional light-limiting tubes. For non-planar treatment of spherical tumors (such as surgical tumor beds of breast cancer and brain tumors) and tubular tumors (such as vaginal cancer, oral cancer, etc.), the currently available clinical electron beam irradiation technology cannot achieve this. Some patent technologies (such as ZL201810244336.0, ZL201922228572.6 and ZL202120496278.8) disclose a type of saccular applicator that can modulate the electron beam planar dose distribution into a non-planar dose distribution, thereby achieving intraoperative radiotherapy of spherical, hemispherical and drum-shaped tumors.

[0004] Before radiotherapy is performed on patients, dose measurement of the treatment plan is also required to verify whether the dosimetric characteristics of the radiation beam meet the requirements. Conventional electron beam planar dose distribution can achieve surface dose measurement through conventional flat solid water, which cannot achieve the measurement of non-planar doses generated by capsule applicators.

[0005] In addition, kV-level X-rays can also form sac-shaped and tubular dose distributions. For example, the IntraBeam system produced by Zeiss of Germany can produce non-planar dose distributions such as spherical ones. It uses several semiconductor detectors to measure the dose distribution of the beam. This method has sparse measurement points, reflects a single information, and lacks spatial distribution. Utility Model Content

[0006] In order to solve at least one of the above defects in the prior art, the utility model patent proposes a radiation dose measuring device, which can be used to measure non-planar radiation dose distributions such as saccular and tubular in water to accurately evaluate the dosimetric characteristics of the radiation beam.

[0007] Specifically, the utility model provides a radiation dose measuring device, which may include: a water tank; a measuring frame, which includes multiple side walls and is accommodated in the water tank; and a film box, which is placed on the measuring frame and is configured to accommodate or clamp a film for dose measurement.

[0008] In some embodiments, a mark is provided on the bottom of the water tank to facilitate positioning the measurement frame in the water tank.

[0009] In some embodiments, the mark is a marking line for placing the measurement frame at the bottom center of the water tank.

[0010] In some embodiments, the measurement frame is composed of four side walls, and two adjacent side walls are provided with mutually matching grooves and protrusion structures, so that the four side walls can be combined to form a stable frame.

[0011] In some embodiments, inner surfaces of two opposite side walls among the plurality of side walls are provided with a horizontal card slot and a vertical card slot, and the horizontal card slot and the vertical card slot are used to place the film box.

[0012] In some embodiments, the vertical slot extends downward from the top of the side wall, and the extension length is less than the height of the side wall.

[0013] In some embodiments, the horizontal slot extends from one side of the side wall across the groove to the other side of the side wall.

[0014] In some embodiments, a leveling knob is provided on the bottom surface of the two opposite side walls, and the leveling knob is used to adjust the level of the measurement frame.

[0015] In some embodiments, the film box is composed of two sheets, and the film is sandwiched between the two sheets.

[0016] In some embodiments, a recessed area consistent with the shape of the object to be measured is provided in the sheet, and the sheet can be closely attached to the film to achieve the measurement of radiation dose.

[0017] Based on some embodiments, the radiation dose measurement device of the utility model can be used to measure non-planar radiation dose distribution in water. For example, it can be specifically applied to saccular and tubular dose distributions generated by electron beams or kV-level X-ray beams, so as to accurately evaluate the dosimetric characteristics of the radiation beam.

[0018] The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the exemplary embodiments may not necessarily achieve all of these advantages. Therefore, the present invention may be embodied or performed in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or a group of advantages as taught herein, without having to achieve other advantages as taught or suggested herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Various aspects of at least one example are discussed below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are not intended to be drawn to scale. The drawings are included to provide illustration and further understanding of the various aspects and examples, and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification, but are not intended as a definition of limitations of the present application. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component shown in various figures is represented by the same number. For clarity, not every component is labeled in every figure. In the drawings:

[0020] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a radiation dose measuring device according to an embodiment of the utility model;

[0021] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a measurement frame structure of a radiation dose measurement device according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0022] Figure 3 The figure is a schematic diagram of the film box structure of a radiation dose measuring device according to an embodiment of the utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects of the present invention easy to understand, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the precise forms of these exemplary embodiments.

[0024] Figure 1 FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a radiation dose measuring device according to an embodiment of the present utility model. Figure 1As shown, the radiation dose measurement device mainly includes three parts: a water tank 100, a measurement frame 101 and a film box 102. The water tank 100 can be used to contain water and support other auxiliary structures such as the measurement frame 101, so that the device of the embodiment of the present application can measure non-planar radiation dose distribution in water and accurately evaluate the dosimetric characteristics of the radiation beam. The measurement frame 101 is accommodated and placed in the water tank 100, which may include a plurality of side walls for supporting the film box 102, for example, so that the film box 102 is fixed on the measurement frame 101 in a specific orientation. The film box 102 is placed on the measurement frame 101, which can be used to contain or clamp the film for dose measurement, so that it can be used for the verification of non-planar radiation dose.

[0025] The water tank 100 can be made of an equivalent material having physical properties similar to those of water, such as organic glass, polyurethane, polystyrene, etc. Figure 1 The water tank 100 is shown as an open cubic structure, but the present application is not limited thereto, and it may also have other structures such as a cylindrical or rectangular parallelepiped. As an example and not a limitation, the interior of the water tank is a cube with a side length of 300 mm, which is made of organic glass with a wall thickness of 10 mm, and there is a cross mark line at the bottom of the water tank to facilitate the placement of the measurement frame 101 and the alignment of the radiation beam. Although not shown, in order to facilitate water inlet and water outlet, the water tank 100 may have a water inlet and water outlet device.

[0026] According to an embodiment of the present application, the measuring frame 101 may also be made of materials such as organic glass, and includes a frame structure for supporting the film box 102 so that the film box 102 can be placed in the water tank 100 in a specific orientation (for example, vertically or horizontally). Compared with the method of directly mounting the film box 102 on the water tank wall, the structure of the embodiment of the present application can reduce the size of the film box and improve the stability of the film box on the one hand, and can achieve the measurement of non-planar radiation dose by flexibly changing the orientation of the film box 102 on the other hand. For example, by adopting this installation method, the embodiment of the present application can move the film box 102 relative to the water tank 100 by moving the measuring frame 101, so that measurements can be performed at multiple positions. If the film box 102 is directly mounted on the water tank wall, moving the film box 102 is likely to cause damage to it or change its orientation, thereby causing deviation in dose measurement. In one embodiment, the size of the measuring frame 101 can be adapted to the size of the film box 102.

[0027] In one embodiment, the film box 102 can be used to insert the radiation dose detection film to keep the film flat. The film box 102 is generally composed of two thin plates with a certain hardness, and is preferably made of a material equivalent to water such as organic glass, so that the film can be fixed and pressed and the impact on the dose measurement of the detection film can be reduced. The principle of the detection film is that it absorbs different doses irradiated on it to form images of different blackness, and the distribution of relative doses can be obtained by analyzing them. The film box 102 can be clamped on the measurement frame 101 in a specific orientation, for example Figure 1 The vertical orientation shown is for measuring the dose in the sagittal plane, and can also be adjusted to be clamped horizontally to measure the dose in the horizontal plane. The specific clamping method will be described later.

[0028] In one embodiment, one or more marks may be provided at the bottom of the water tank 100 to facilitate positioning of the measurement frame in the water tank. Figure 1 As shown, one or more marking lines 103 are provided at the bottom of the water tank 100, so that the measurement frame 101 can be positioned and placed at one or more specific positions of the water tank. For example, the measurement frame 101 can be placed at the center of the water tank 100 by two vertically intersecting marking lines. It can be understood that the present application is not limited thereto, and for example, multiple parallel marking lines can be provided at the bottom of the water tank, so that the dose measurement can be performed at multiple positions by moving the measurement frame 101 to different positions.

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the measurement framework structure of a radiation dose measurement device according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein: Figure 2 (a) shows the three-dimensional overall structure of the measurement frame 101, Figure 2 (b) shows a cross section of two adjacent side walls of the measurement frame.

[0030] In one embodiment, if Figure 2 As shown in (a), the measurement frame 101 may be composed of four side walls 200, 201, 202 and 203, wherein the side walls 200 and 201 are arranged oppositely and may have the same structure, the side walls 201 and 203 are arranged oppositely and may have the same structure, and the four side walls together form a tic-tac-toe frame. In order to assemble the side walls into a frame structure, two adjacent side walls (i.e., side walls 200 and 202, side walls 202 and 201, side walls 201 and 203, and side walls 203 and 200) are provided with mutually matching grooves and protrusions, i.e., similar to a mortise and tenon structure, so that the four side walls can be combined to form a stable frame.

[0031] In one embodiment, the four side walls of the measurement frame 101 may have the same outer dimensions, and their length and width are respectively smaller than the length and height of the side wall of the water tank 100, and may have a certain thickness, for example, a thickness of not less than 5 mm, so as to facilitate mutual assembly and provide reliable stability. For example, the length and width of the four side walls 200, 201, 202, and 203 are all 200 mm, and the thickness is 10 mm. In some embodiments, the side walls of the measurement frame 10 may also have other various sizes, which are compatible with films of different sizes, thereby meeting different measurement requirements.

[0032] Figure 2 (b) shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the side walls 200 and 202. As shown in the figure, the left and right sides of the side wall 200 are provided with grooves 204a at the top. The position of the grooves can be a predetermined distance from the two sides of the side wall 200. The distance cannot be too small to allow sufficient rigidity, otherwise the side wall 200 is easily broken during assembly, and cannot be too large, otherwise the space for placing the film box is reduced. The depth of the groove 204a is less than the (longitudinal) width of the side wall, for example, half the width of the side wall (i.e., 100 mm). The width of the groove 204a is equal to or slightly larger than the thickness of the side walls 202 and 203 to achieve an interference fit and improve the stability of the frame. Correspondingly, grooves 204b are opened at the bottom on the left and right sides of the side wall 202, and the depth, width and spacing of the groove 204b from the side of the side wall 202 match the groove 204a. For example, the sum of the depths of the two is equal to the width of the side wall 200, and the widths of the two are equal, so that the two adjacent side walls 200, 202 can be combined into one.

[0033] In one embodiment, in order to provide support and fixation for the film box 102 and measure the non-planar dose, the inner surfaces of two opposite side walls of the measurement frame 101 are provided with opposite horizontal card slots and vertical card slots, and the horizontal card slots and vertical card slots can be used to place the film box 102. Figure 2 (b) A horizontal card slot 205 and a vertical card slot 206 are provided on the inner surface of the side wall 200 (and the opposite side wall 201) for placing film boxes. The depth of the card slots 205 and 206 is less than the thickness of the side wall 200, for example, half the thickness of the side wall. In one embodiment, the vertical card slot 206 may extend downward from the top of the side wall 200, for example, from the middle of the side wall, and its extension length is less than the height of the side wall 200, thereby improving the overall structural strength of the side wall 200. The horizontal card slot 205 may extend from one side of the side wall 200 across the groove 204a to the other side of the side wall 200, which facilitates the processing of the card slot and the insertion of the film box. The horizontal card slot 205 may be located at the upper part of the inner surface of the side wall 200, for example, 55 mm from the top of the frame.

[0034] Although only one horizontal slot and one vertical slot are shown in the figure, it can be understood that multiple horizontal or vertical slots can also be provided on two opposite side walls, so that measurement can be performed at multiple positions at the same time.

[0035] Also refer to Figure 2 (b) In one embodiment, (two) leveling knobs 207 are provided at the bottom of the side wall 200, which can be used to adjust the level of the measurement frame 101, thereby ensuring the horizontality and / or verticality of the film box during measurement.

[0036] The side walls 200 and 202 are used as examples to introduce the side walls of the frame 101. It can be understood that the side walls 201 and 203 have the same structure as the side walls 200 and 202, respectively, and will not be described in detail here.

[0037] Figure 3 The following is a schematic diagram of the film box structure of a radiation dose measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As mentioned above, the film box can be composed of two thin sheets, which can clamp the measuring film to achieve radiation dose measurement. For example, the thin sheets can be made of organic glass sheets with a thickness of 1 mm to ensure that the film clamped therein is in a flat state in the water tank. Figure 3 (a) shows a film box placed horizontally to measure the dose of the plane perpendicular to the central axis of the beam. Figure 3 (b) shows a film cassette placed vertically to measure the dose in the plane passing through the central axis of the sheet 302.

[0038] In one embodiment, the sheet and the corresponding film are provided with a recessed area which is consistent with the shape of the object to be measured, for example, Figure 3 The recessed area 301 on the sheet 300 and the recessed area 303 on the sheet 302 are shown, and the recessed area may have the shape of a balloon-shaped applicator. In use, the sheet can be closely attached to the film, so as to achieve the measurement of the distribution of radiation dose in water. After multiple measurements to obtain the plane surface dose perpendicular to the beam and the plane surface dose parallel to the beam, the capsule-shaped dose distribution can be determined by analysis. It is understandable that the recessed area may also have other shapes such as a tube, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0039] By processing thin sheets and films with specific shapes, the radiation dose measuring device of the utility model can realize accurate measurement of non-planar radiation dose distribution of measured objects of arbitrary shapes in water, accurately evaluate the dosimetric characteristics of the radiation beam, and there is no need to consider the water equivalence problem of the phantom in radiation dose measurement.

[0040] The basic principles of the present application are described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, strengths, effects, etc. mentioned in the present application are only examples and not limitations, and it cannot be considered that these advantages, strengths, effects, etc. are required by each embodiment of the present application. In addition, the specific details disclosed above are only for the purpose of illustration and ease of understanding, not for limitation, and the above details do not limit the present application to being implemented by adopting the above specific details.

[0041] As used herein, words such as "include," "comprises," "have," and the like are open ended words that mean "including but not limited to," and are used interchangeably therewith. The words "or" and "and" as used herein mean the words "and / or," and are used interchangeably therewith, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The word "such as," as used herein, means the phrase "such as but not limited to," and is used interchangeably therewith.

[0042] The above is only a preferred arrangement of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Without departing from the scope and spirit of the embodiments described in the present invention, many combinations, modifications and changes are obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be based on the scope defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A radiation dose measuring device, characterized in that: include: Water tank; a measuring frame including a plurality of side walls and received in the water tank; as well as The film box is placed on the measurement frame and is configured to accommodate or clamp a film for dose measurement.

2. The radiation dose measuring device according to claim 1, wherein: A mark is provided at the bottom of the water tank to facilitate positioning of the measuring frame in the water tank.

3. The radiation dose measuring device according to claim 2, wherein: The mark is a marking line used to place the measuring frame at the bottom center of the water tank.

4. The radiation dose measuring device according to claim 1, wherein: The measuring frame is composed of four side walls, and two adjacent side walls are provided with mutually matching grooves and convex block structures, so that the four side walls can be combined to form a stable frame.

5. The radiation dose measuring device according to claim 4, wherein: The inner surfaces of two opposite side walls among the plurality of side walls are provided with a horizontal card slot and a vertical card slot, and the horizontal card slot and the vertical card slot are used to place the film box.

6. The radiation dose measuring device according to claim 5, wherein: The vertical slot extends downward from the top of the side wall, and the extension length is less than the height of the side wall.

7. The radiation dose measuring device according to claim 5, wherein: The horizontal slot extends from one side of the side wall across the groove to the other side of the side wall.

8. The radiation dose measuring device according to claim 5, wherein: Leveling knobs are provided on the bottom surfaces of the two opposite side walls, and the leveling knobs are used to adjust the level of the measuring frame.

9. The radiation dose measuring device according to claim 1, wherein: The film box is composed of two thin sheets, and the film is sandwiched between the two thin sheets.

10. The radiation dose measuring device according to claim 9, wherein: The thin sheet is provided with a recessed area which is consistent with the shape of the object to be measured, and the thin sheet can be closely attached to the film to achieve the measurement of radiation dose.

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