Table of contents

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is, we are pleased to observe, not a common occurrence in Physics in Medicine & Biology (PMB); however, like those responsible for all scientific journals, we are concerned about plagiarism, and very keen to prevent it. The Publications Committee of the International Organization of Medical Physics (IOMP) has prepared a generic editorial on plagiarism. The editorial is reproduced here (with permission of the IOMP), with slight modifications to enhance its relevance to the audience of PMB, along with our procedures for dealing with any cases of plagiarism should they ever arise.

Plagiarism (from the Latin 'plagiare', 'to kidnap') is defined as 'the appropriation or imitation of the language, ideas, and thoughts of another author, and representation of them as one's original work' (the Random House Dictionary of the English Language—unabridged). Plagiarism is a serious breach of research ethics that, if committed intentionally, is considered research misconduct. Plagiarism in its most serious form is the passing off of all, or large sections, of another author's published paper as one's original work. If, following appropriate confidential investigation (see below), such a plagiarism is established, this will result in heavy sanctions including retraction of the article, up to a 5 year publication ban from PMB, and informing of employers and/or professional bodies (even after one offence). This may result in loss of research funding, loss of professional stature, and even termination of employment of the plagiarizing author(s). Plagiarism undermines the authenticity of research manuscripts and the journals in which they are published, and compromises the integrity of the scientific process and the public regard for science. Plagiarism violates the literary rights of the individuals who are plagiarized, and the property rights of copyright holders. Violation of these rights may result in legal action against the individual(s) committing plagiarism. Although plagiarism has been present since the beginning of science, it seems to be increasing because the internet facilitates finding and copying the work of others. As Editors we are aware of some astonishing plagiarisms in some other publications that fortunately are rare but which encourage us to be increasingly vigilant.

It is possible to plagiarize not only the work of others, but also one's own work through re-use of identical or nearly identical portions of manuscripts without acknowledgement and without citation. Simultaneous or subsequent submission of similar manuscripts with only minor differences and without citation between the manuscripts is, unfortunately, a not uncommon practice by authors hoping to acquire multiple publications from a research project. PMB strongly discourages this practice and will act against it if the facts become known before publication. In extreme cases of self-plagiarism (duplicate publication of a (nearly) full paper which has already been published elsewhere in a peer-review journal) sanctions similar to those outlined above may be applied. Occasionally similar articles may legitimately be published in two journals, because the journals reach different audiences and both would be interested in the article. This practice must be approved by the editors of both journals, and the duplication must be acknowledged in each article.

When the possibility of plagiarism exists (often through an allegation of plagiarism by the original author, a reviewer, or an interested third party), the journal's Editor and Publisher will act quickly (particularly if the article in question has already been published online or in print). We will examine the original material and the publication alleged to constitute plagiarism. If the Editor and Publisher conclude that no plagiarism has occurred, the accuser will be notified and no further action is necessary. If the evidence suggests that plagiarism may have occurred, then we will contact the accused authors (all of them), the authors whose work may have been plagiarized, and the copyright holder of the original material. The correspondence will include the alleged plagiarizing language and a copy of the original and suspected work. If all parties agree that plagiarism (whether intentional or unintentional) has occurred, a written letter of apology should be sent promptly by the offending author(s) to the Editor/Publisher and to the authors and copyright holder whose work has been plagiarized. If the offending work has been published, a notice of plagiarism, citing both the plagiarized and the offending articles, will be published in the next available issue of PMB. The plagiarizing authors shall agree that all dissemination of the offending article shall be accompanied by the notice of plagiarism. In the most serious cases of plagiarism, a retraction (erratum) will be published (in accordance with the STM guidelines on 'Preservation of the objective record of science', retraction is favoured over removal in virtually all cases), and further sanctions applied. If the offending work hasn't yet been published (i.e. it is detected by the referees), sanctions will still be applied.

If the accused authors deny that plagiarism has occurred, the Editor and Publisher must explore the accusation further. The investigation will also involve the Journals Director and the Chief Scientific Adviser of IOP Publishing (who publish PMB on behalf of IPEM) and also the General Secretary of IPEM. All parties to the allegation will be encouraged to submit corroborating evidence, and the accused authors granted an opportunity (at no expense to the journal) to testify in person to defend themselves against the allegation. The investigation should be concluded as quickly as possible (particularly if the article in question has already been published online or in print).

If the investigation of the allegation of plagiarism concludes in support of the allegation, then the process for the case where plagiarism is admitted shall be instituted. A retraction will be published in PMB, and the authors banned from publishing in PMB for a number of years. Further, in the most serious cases the Publisher will report the plagiarism to the guilty parties' employer, and/or professional organization. If the investigation rules against the accusation of plagiarism, a letter stating this ruling shall be provided to the accuser, the authors accused of plagiarism, the authors of the original work, and the copyright holder. In either case, these actions should constitute closure of the allegation of plagiarism.

An allegation of plagiarism is a very serious accusation, and should never be made lightly. On the other hand, self-policing is a major strength of the scientific community, and plagiarism should always be reported when it is suspected to have occurred.

PMB reserves the right to amend the above detailed procedures should the practice of plagiarism worryingly become less rare than it is today.

Cerebral edema is one of the main acute complications arising after irradiation of brain tumors. Microbeam radiation therapy (MRT), an innovative experimental radiotherapy technique using spatially fractionated synchrotron x-rays, has been shown to spare radiosensitive tissues such as mammal brains. The aim of this study was to determine if cerebral edema occurs after MRT using diffusion-weighted MRI and microgravimetry. Prone Swiss nude mice's heads were positioned horizontally in the synchrotron x-ray beam and the upper part of the left hemisphere was irradiated in the antero-posterior direction by an array of 18 planar microbeams (25 mm wide, on-center spacing 211 mm, height 4 mm, entrance dose 312 Gy or 1000 Gy). An apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was measured at 7 T 1, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after irradiation. Eventually, the cerebral water content (CWC) was determined by microgravimetry. The ADC and CWC in the irradiated (312 Gy or 1000 Gy) and in the contralateral non-irradiated hemispheres were not significantly different at all measurement times, with two exceptions: (1) a 9% ADC decrease (p < 0.05) was observed in the irradiated cortex 1 day after exposure to 312 Gy, (2) a 0.7% increase (p < 0.05) in the CWC was measured in the irradiated hemispheres 1 day after exposure to 1000 Gy. The results demonstrate the presence of a minor and transient cellular edema (ADC decrease) at 1 day after a 312 Gy exposure, without a significant CWC increase. One day after a 1000 Gy exposure, the CWC increased, while the ADC remained unchanged and may reflect the simultaneous presence of cellular and vasogenic edema. Both types of edema disappear within a week after microbeam exposure which may confirm the normal tissue sparing effect of MRT.

For more information on this article, see medicalphysicsweb.org

This paper presents simulated and measured phantom results for the possible effects that head worn jewellery may have on the relative levels of energy absorbed in the human head with cellular enabled mobile communication devices. The FDTD electromagnetic code used with simple and complex anatomical mathematical phantoms was used to consider the interactions of metallic jewellery, heads and representative sources at 900 and 1800 MHz. Illuminated metallic pins of different lengths were positioned in front of the face. Initially, a homogenous phantom was used to understand the relative enhancement mechanisms. This geometry allowed the results to be validated with the industry standard DASY4 robot SAR measurement system related to the CENELEC head. Jewellery pins were then added to an anatomically realistic head. The relative increase in the 1 g and 10 g SAR, due to a pin with a length 0.4λ near the eyebrows of a complex, anatomically realistic head was approximately three times at 1800 MHz. Such pins increased the SAR averaged over a 1 g or 10 g mass by redistributing the energy absorbed inside the head and focusing this energy towards the area of the head nearest to the centre of the pin. Although, the pins increased the SAR, the SAR standards were not breached and the jewellery produced lower values than those of previous studies when the source was positioned close to the ear.

Treating shallow tumors with a homogeneous dose while simultaneously minimizing the dose to distal critical organs remains a challenge in radiotherapy. One promising approach is modulated electron radiotherapy (MERT). Due to the scattering properties of electron beams, the commercially provided secondary and tertiary photon collimation systems are not conducive for electron beam delivery when standard source-to-surface distances are used. Also, commercial treatment planning systems may not accurately model electron-beam dose distributions when collimated without the standard applicators. However, by using the photon multileaf collimators (MLCs) to create segments to modulate electron beams, the quality of superficial tumor dose distributions may improve substantially. The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate calculations for the narrow segments needed to modulate megavoltage electron beams using photon beam multileaf collimators. Modulated electron radiotherapy (MERT) will be performed with a conventional linear accelerator equipped with a 120 leaf MLC for 6–20 MeV electron beam energies. To provide a sharp penumbra, segments were delivered with short SSDs (70–85 cm). Segment widths (SW) ranging from 1 to 10 cm were configured for delivery and planning, using BEAMnrc Monte Carlo (MC) code, and the DOSXYZnrc MC dose calculations. Calculations were performed with voxel size of 0.2 × 0.2 × 0.1 cm³. Dosimetry validation was performed using radiographic film and micro- or parallel-plate chambers. Calculated and measured data were compared using technical computing software. Beam sharpness (penumbra) degraded with decreasing incident beam energy and field size (FS), and increasing SSD. A 70 cm SSD was found to be optimal. The PDD decreased significantly with decreasing FS. The comparisons demonstrated excellent agreement for calculations and measurements within 3%, 1 mm. This study shows that accurate calculations for MERT as delivered with existing photon MLC are feasible and allows the opportunity to take advantage of the dynamic leaf motion capabilities and control systems, to provide conformal dose distributions.

Ultrasound microbubble contrast agents have been demonstrated to scatter subharmonic energy at one-half the driving frequency. At ultrasound frequencies in the 20–40 MHz range, the subharmonic offers the potential to differentiate the blood in the microcirculation from the surrounding tissue. It is unknown whether current contrast agents, manufactured to be resonant between 2 and 12 MHz, are ideal for subharmonic imaging at higher frequencies. We performed numerical simulations of the Keller–Miksis model for the behavior of a single bubble and experimental investigations of Definity microbubbles in water. The results supported the hypothesis that off-resonant bubbles, excited at their second harmonic, may be primarily responsible for the observed subharmonic energy. For frequencies between 20 and 32 MHz and 32 and 40 MHz, the optimal bubble diameters for the generation of subharmonics in vitro were determined experimentally to be 1.2–5 µm and less than 1.2 µm, respectively. Definity may be a suitable ultrasound contrast agent for subharmonic imaging at 20 MHz with peak-negative pressures between 380 and 590 kPa and pulses greater than or equal to four cycles in duration.

A description of the vascular input function is needed to obtain tissue kinetic parameter estimates from dynamic contrast enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) data. This paper describes a general modelling framework for defining compact functional forms to describe vascular input functions. By appropriately specifying the components of this model it is possible to generate models that are realistic, and that ensure that the tissue concentration curves can be analytically calculated. This means that the computations necessary to estimate parameters from measured data are relatively efficient, which is important if such methods are to become of use in clinical practice. Three models defined by four parameters, using exponential, gamma-variate and cosine descriptions of the bolus, are described and their properties investigated using simulations. The results indicate that if there is no plasma fraction, then the proposed models are indistinguishable. When a small plasma fraction is present the exponential model gives parameter estimates that are biassed by up to 50%, while the other two models give very little bias; up to 10% but less than 5% in most cases. With a larger plasma fraction the exponential model is again biassed, the gamma-variate model has a small bias, but the cosine model has a very little bias and is indistinguishable from the model used to generate the data. The computational speed of the analytic approaches is compared with a fast-Fourier-transform-based numerical convolution approach. The analytic methods are nearly 10 times faster than the numerical methods for the isolated computation of the convolution, and around 4–5 times faster when used in an optimization routine to obtain parameter estimates. These results were obtained from five example data sets, one of which was examined in more detail to compare the estimates obtained using the different models, and with literature values.

The measurand relevant for the dosimetry for radiation therapy is the absorbed dose to water, D_W. The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) is establishing a secondary standard for D_W for high-energy photon and electron radiation based on electron spin resonance (ESR) of the amino acid alanine. For practical applications, like, for example, intercomparison measurements using the ESR/alanine dosimetry system, the temporal evolution of the ESR signal of irradiated probes is an important issue. This postirradiation behaviour is investigated for alanine pellets of two different suppliers for different storage conditions. The influence of the storage conditions on the temporal evolution may be dependent on the type of probes used. The measurement and analysis method developed at the PTB is able to circumvent the apparent difficulties in the case of alanine/paraffin probes. Care has to be taken in case this method cannot be applied.

We have developed a method to enhance bone contrast in dual x-ray images. The method relies on the creation of a synthetic background image representing soft tissues and air in the image. The original image is normalized with this background image, thus enhancing bone contrast and eliminating soft tissues and air holes. The central idea of the method resides in the proper combination of information contained in equivalent aluminum and plastic thicknesses, calculated from well-known dual-energy algorithms.

A general methodology of mixed lubrication analysis and friction prediction for a conforming spherical bearing in hip implants was developed, with particular reference to a typical metal-on-metal hip replacement. Experimental measurement of frictional torque for a similar implant was carried out to validate the theoretical prediction. A ball-in-socket configuration was adopted to represent the articulation between the femoral head and the acetabular cup under cyclic operating conditions of representative load and motion. The mixed lubrication model presented in this study was first applied to identify the contact characteristics on the bearing surfaces, consisting of both fluid-film and boundary lubricated regions. The boundary lubricated contact was assumed to occur when the predicted fluid film thickness was less than a typical boundary protein layer absorbed on the bearing surfaces. Subsequently, the friction was predicted from the fluid-film lubricated region with viscous shearing due to both Couette and Poiseuille flows and the boundary protein layer contact region with a constant coefficient of friction. The predicted frictional torque of the typical metal-on-metal hip joint implant was compared with the experimental measurement conducted in a functional hip simulator and a reasonably good agreement was found. The mixed lubrication regime was found to be dominant for the conditions considered. Although the percentage of the boundary lubricated region was quite small, the corresponding contribution to friction was quite large and the resultant friction factor was quite high.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of CT scanning and reconstruction parameters on automated segmentation and volumetric measurements of nodules in CT images. Phantom nodules of known sizes were used so that segmentation accuracy could be quantified in comparison to ground-truth volumes. Spherical nodules having 4.8, 9.5 and 16 mm diameters and 50 and 100 mg cc⁻¹ calcium contents were embedded in lung-tissue-simulating foam which was inserted in the thoracic cavity of a chest section phantom. CT scans of the phantom were acquired with a 16-slice scanner at various tube currents, pitches, fields-of-view and slice thicknesses. Scans were also taken using identical techniques either within the same day or five months apart for study of reproducibility. The phantom nodules were segmented with a three-dimensional active contour (3DAC) model that we previously developed for use on patient nodules. The percentage volume errors relative to the ground-truth volumes were estimated under the various imaging conditions. There was no statistically significant difference in volume error for repeated CT scans or scans taken with techniques where only pitch, field of view, or tube current (mA) were changed. However, the slice thickness significantly (p < 0.05) affected the volume error. Therefore, to evaluate nodule growth, consistent imaging conditions and high resolution should be used for acquisition of the serial CT scans, especially for smaller nodules. Understanding the effects of scanning and reconstruction parameters on volume measurements by 3DAC allows better interpretation of data and assessment of growth. Tracking nodule growth with computerized segmentation methods would reduce inter- and intraobserver variabilities.

In the year 1997 Siemens introduced the virtual wedge in its accelerators. The idea was that a dose profile similar to that of a physical wedge can be obtained by moving one of the accelerator jaws at a constant speed while the dose rate is changing. This work explores the observed behaviour of virtual wedge factors. A model is suggested which takes into account that at any point in time, when the jaw moves, the dose at a point of interest in the phantom is not only due to the direct beam. It also depends on the scattered radiation in the phantom, the head scatter and the behaviour of the monitoring system of the accelerator. Measurements are performed in a Siemens Primus accelerator and compared to the model predictions. It is shown that the model agrees reasonably well with measurements spanning a wide range of conditions. A strong dependence of virtual wedge factors on the dosimetric board has been confirmed and an explanation has been given on how the balance between different contributions is responsible for virtual wedge factors values.

Active matrix, flat-panel x-ray imagers based on a-Si:H thin-film transistors offer many advantages and are widely utilized in medical imaging applications. Unfortunately, the detective quantum efficiency (DQE) of conventional flat-panel imagers incorporating scintillators or a-Se photoconductors is significantly limited by their relatively modest signal-to-noise ratio, particularly in applications involving low x-ray exposures or high spatial resolution. For this reason, polycrystalline HgI₂ is of considerable interest by virtue of its low effective work function, high atomic number and the possibility of large-area deposition. In this study, a detailed investigation of the properties of prototype, flat-panel arrays coated with two forms of this high-gain photoconductor are reported. Encouragingly, high x-ray sensitivity, low dark current and spatial resolution close to the theoretical limits were observed from a number of prototypes. In addition, input-quantum-limited DQE performance was measured from one of the prototypes at relatively low exposures. However, high levels of charge trapping, lag and polarization, as well as pixel-to-pixel variations in x-ray sensitivity are of concern. While the results of the current study are promising, further development will be required to realize prototypes exhibiting the characteristics necessary to allow practical implementation of this approach.

Publisher's note: The title was changed from: 'Signal behavior of polycrystalline HgI₂ at diagnostic energies of prototype, direct detection, active matrix, flat-panel imagers' to 'Investigation of the signal behavior at diagnostic energies of prototype, direct detection, active matrix, flat-panel imagers incorporating polycrystalline HgI₂' 24 hours after initial publication to correct a mistake.

We previously developed a model-independent technique (non-parametric ntPET) for extracting the transient changes in neurotransmitter concentration from paired (rest & activation) PET studies with a receptor ligand. To provide support for our method, we introduced three hypotheses of validation based on work by Endres and Carson (1998 J. Cereb. Blood Flow Metab.18 1196–210) and Yoder et al (2004 J. Nucl. Med.45 903–11), and tested them on experimental data. All three hypotheses describe relationships between the estimated free (synaptic) dopamine curves (F^DA(t)) and the change in binding potential (ΔBP). The veracity of the F^DA(t) curves recovered by nonparametric ntPET is supported when the data adhere to the following hypothesized behaviors: (1) ΔBP should decline with increasing DA peak time, (2) ΔBP should increase as the strength of the temporal correlation between F^DA(t) and the free raclopride (F^RAC(t)) curve increases, (3) ΔBP should decline linearly with the effective weighted availability of the receptor sites. We analyzed regional brain data from 8 healthy subjects who received two [¹¹C]raclopride scans: one at rest, and one during which unanticipated IV alcohol was administered to stimulate dopamine release. For several striatal regions, nonparametric ntPET was applied to recover F^DA(t), and binding potential values were determined. Kendall rank-correlation analysis confirmed that the F^DA(t) data followed the expected trends for all three validation hypotheses. Our findings lend credence to our model-independent estimates of F^DA(t). Application of nonparametric ntPET may yield important insights into how alterations in timing of dopaminergic neurotransmission are involved in the pathologies of addiction and other psychiatric disorders.

Magnification is a special technique applied in mammography in cases where breast complaints have already been noticed, aiming to examine a specific area of the breast. Small-sized focal spots are essential in such techniques in order to reduce the resultant geometrical unsharpness. The x-ray intensity distribution of the focal spot is another crucial parameter for such a technique as it affects the mammographic resolution. In this study a Monte Carlo simulation model is utilized, in order to examine the effect of a wide range of focal spot sizes and three representative intensity distributions on spatial resolution under magnification. A thick sharp edge consisting of lead, non-transparent to x-rays was imaged under various conditions for this purpose, and the corresponding spatial resolution was calculated through the modulation transfer function (MTF). Results demonstrate that focal spots larger than 0.10 mm can mainly be used for low degrees of magnification, especially when combined with double peak Gaussian intensity distribution of the focal spot (sum of two single peak Gaussian distributions with different centers), as the resultant spatial resolution is not as high as the corresponding from smaller foci or uniform and single peak Gaussian distributions. Moreover, for the degrees of magnification usually utilized in clinical practice they do not reach the acceptable limit of 12 lp mm⁻¹. The replacement of the x-ray tube when the focal spot starts being destroyed is very crucial as the possible alteration of single peak Gaussian distribution to double peak Gaussian results in the degradation of spatial resolution. A focal spot of 0.10 mm or smaller, combined with single peak Gaussian intensity distribution, can be considered appropriate even for higher degrees of magnification and its use can contribute in the effort to optimize the magnification views in mammography.

It is important to increase the iodine delivery rate (I), that is the iodine concentration of the contrast material (C) × the flow rate of the contrast material (Q), through microcatheters to obtain arteriograms of the highest contrast. It is known that C is an important factor that influences I. The purpose of this study is to establish a method of hydrodynamic calculation of the optimum iodine concentration (i.e., the iodine concentration at which I becomes maximum) of the contrast material and its flow rate through commercially available microcatheters. Iopamidol, ioversol and iohexol of ten iodine concentrations were used. Iodine delivery rates (I meas) of each contrast material through ten microcatheters were measured. The calculated iodine delivery rate (I cal) and calculated optimum iodine concentration (calculated C opt) were obtained with spreadsheet software. The agreement between I cal and I meas was studied by correlation and logarithmic Bland-Altman analyses. The value of the calculated C opt was within the optimum range of iodine concentrations (i.e. the range of iodine concentrations at which I meas becomes 90% or more of the maximum) in all cases. A good correlation between I cal and I meas (I cal = 1.08 I meas, r = 0.99) was observed. Logarithmic Bland–Altman analysis showed that the 95% confidence interval of I cal/I meas was between 0.82 and 1.29. In conclusion, hydrodynamic calculation with spreadsheet software is an accurate, generally applicable and cost-saving method to estimate the value of the optimum iodine concentration and its flow rate through microcatheters.

We have recently developed an ultrasound-based velocimetry technique, termed echo particle image velocimetry (Echo PIV), to measure multi-component velocity vectors and local shear rates in arteries and opaque fluid flows by identifying and tracking flow tracers (ultrasound contrast microbubbles) within these flow fields. The original system was implemented on images obtained from a commercial echocardiography scanner. Although promising, this system was limited in spatial resolution and measurable velocity range. In this work, we propose standard rules for characterizing Echo PIV performance and report on a custom-designed Echo PIV system with increased spatial resolution and measurable velocity range. Then we employed this system for initial measurements on tube flows, rotating flows and in vitro carotid artery and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) models to acquire the local velocity and shear rate distributions in these flow fields. The experimental results verified the accuracy of this technique and indicated the promise of the custom Echo PIV system in capturing complex flow fields non-invasively.

Proton therapy potentially offers excellent dose conformality and reduction in integral dose. The superior dose distribution is, however, much more sensitive to the radiological depth along the beam path than for photon fields. Variations in this depth due to inaccurate planning calculation, setup uncertainty, respiration-induced organ motion, etc, could result in either an 'undershooting', missing the distal portion of the target volume entirely, or an 'overshooting', delivering the full prescription dose to the normal tissue beyond the target volume. In vivo dose verification plays an important role in the quality assurance of the treatments. The point dose measurements widely used for photon treatments are, however, insufficient for protons due to the particular characteristics of the proton depth–dose distribution. In this work, we explore a method for in vivo range verifications in proton treatments using range-modulated passive scattering fields. The method utilizes the time dependence of the dose distribution delivered by these fields. By measuring the time dependence of the dose rate at any point in the target volume, the residual range of the beam at this point can be obtained with millimeter accuracy.

Protection of fetuses against external neutron exposure is an important task. This paper reports a set of absorbed dose conversion coefficients for fetal and maternal organs for external neutron beams using the RPI-P pregnant female models and the MCNPX code. The newly developed pregnant female models represent an adult female with a fetus including its brain and skeleton at the end of each trimester. The organ masses were adjusted to match the reference values within 1%. For the 3 mm cubic voxel size, the models consist of 10–15 million voxels for 35 organs. External monoenergetic neutron beams of six standard configurations (AP, PA, LLAT, RLAT, ROT and ISO) and source energies 0.001 eV–100 GeV were considered. The results are compared with previous data that are based on simplified anatomical models. The differences in dose depend on source geometry, energy and gestation periods: from 20% up to 140% for the whole fetus, and up to 100% for the fetal brain. Anatomical differences are primarily responsible for the discrepancies in the organ doses. For the first time, the dependence of mother organ doses upon anatomical changes during pregnancy was studied. A maximum of 220% increase in dose was observed for the placenta in the nine months model compared to three months, whereas dose to the pancreas, small and large intestines decreases by 60% for the AP source for the same models. Tabulated dose conversion coefficients for the fetus and 27 maternal organs are provided.

To date, all radiofrequency heating (RFH) theoretical models have employed Fourier's heat transfer equation (FHTE), which assumes infinite thermal energy propagation speed. Although this equation is probably suitable for modeling most RFH techniques, it may not be so for surgical procedures in which very short heating times are employed. In such cases, a non-Fourier model should be considered by using the hyperbolic heat transfer equation (HHTE). Our aim was to compare the temperature profiles obtained from the FHTE and HHTE for RFH modeling. We built a one-dimensional theoretical model based on a spherical electrode totally embedded and in close contact with biological tissue of infinite dimensions. We solved the electrical–thermal coupled problem analytically by including the power source in both equations. A comparison of the analytical solutions from the HHTE and FHTE showed that (1) for short times and locations close to the electrode surface, the HHTE produced temperatures higher than the FHTE, however, this trend became negligible for longer times, when both equations produced similar temperature profiles (HHTE always being higher than FHTE); (2) for points distant from the electrode surface and for very short times, the HHTE temperature was lower than the FHTE, however, after a delay time, this tendency inverted and the HHTE temperature increased to the maximum; (3) from a mathematical point of view, the HHTE solution showed cuspidal-type singularities, which were materialized as a temperature peak traveling through the medium at a finite speed. This peak rose at the electrode surface, and clearly reflected the wave nature of the thermal problem; (4) the differences between the FHTE and HHTE temperature profiles were smaller for the lower values of thermal relaxation time and locations further from the electrode surface.

Pulsed photo-thermal radiometry (PPTR) is a non-invasive, non-contact diagnostic technique used to locate cutaneous chromophores such as melanin (epidermis) and hemoglobin (vascular structures). Clinical utility of PPTR is limited because it typically requires trained user intervention to regularize the inversion solution. Herein, the feasibility of automated regularization was studied. A second objective of this study was to depart from modeling port wine stain PWS, a vascular skin lesion frequently studied with PPTR, as strictly layered structures since this may influence conclusions regarding PPTR reconstruction quality. Average blood vessel depths, diameters and densities derived from histology of 30 PWS patients were used to generate 15 randomized lesion geometries for which we simulated PPTR signals. Reconstruction accuracy for subjective regularization was compared with that for automated regularization methods. The objective regularization approach performed better. However, the average difference was much smaller than the variation between the 15 simulated profiles. Reconstruction quality depended more on the actual profile to be reconstructed than on the reconstruction algorithm or regularization method. Similar, or better, accuracy reconstructions can be achieved with an automated regularization procedure which enhances prospects for user friendly implementation of PPTR to optimize laser therapy on an individual patient basis.

The feasibility of computed tomography (CT) with energy-resolved x-ray detection has been investigated. A breast CT design with multi slit multi slice (MSMS) data acquisition was used for this study. The MSMS CT includes linear arrays of photon counting detectors separated by gaps. This CT configuration allows for efficient scatter rejection and 3D data acquisition. The energy-resolved CT images were simulated using a digital breast phantom and the design parameters of the proposed MSMS CT. The phantom had 14 cm diameter and 50/50 adipose/glandular composition, and included carcinoma, adipose, blood, iodine and CaCO₃ as contrast elements. The x-ray technique was 90 kVp tube voltage with 660 mR skin exposure. Photon counting, charge (energy) integrating and photon energy weighting CT images were generated. The contrast-to-noise (CNR) improvement with photon energy weighting was quantified. The dual energy subtracted images of CaCO₃ and iodine were generated using a single CT scan at a fixed x-ray tube voltage. The x-ray spectrum was electronically split into low- and high-energy parts by a photon counting detector. The CNR of the energy weighting CT images of carcinoma, blood, adipose, iodine, and CaCO₃ was higher by a factor of 1.16, 1.20, 1.21, 1.36 and 1.35, respectively, as compared to CT with a conventional charge (energy) integrating detector. Photon energy weighting was applied to CT projections prior to dual energy subtraction and reconstruction. Photon energy weighting improved the CNR in dual energy subtracted CT images of CaCO₃ and iodine by a factor of 1.35 and 1.33, respectively. The combination of CNR improvements due to scatter rejection and energy weighting was in the range of 1.71–2 depending on the type of the contrast element. The tilted angle CZT detector was considered as the detector of choice. Experiments were performed to test the effect of the tilting angle on the energy spectrum. Using the CZT detector with 20° tilting angle decreased the tailing of the measured x-ray spectrum as compared to a conventional CZT detector. It was concluded that the energy-resolved MSMS CT with tilted angle CZT detector is potentially feasible and could provide a unique combination of photon counting, energy weighting, scatter rejection and single kVp dual energy subtraction CT imaging.

Two Monte Carlo systems, EGSnrc and Geant4, the latter with two different 'physics lists,' were used to calculate dose distributions in large electron fields used in radiotherapy. Source and geometry parameters were adjusted to match calculated results to measurement. Both codes were capable of accurately reproducing the measured dose distributions of the six electron beams available on the accelerator. Depth penetration matched the average measured with a diode and parallel-plate chamber to 0.04 cm or better. Calculated depth dose curves agreed to 2% with diode measurements in the build-up region, although for the lower beam energies there was a discrepancy of up to 5% in this region when calculated results are compared to parallel-plate measurements. Dose profiles at the depth of maximum dose matched to 2–3% in the central 25 cm of the field, corresponding to the field size of the largest applicator. A 4% match was obtained outside the central region. The discrepancy observed in the bremsstrahlung tail in published results that used EGS4 is no longer evident. Simulations with the different codes and physics lists used different source energies, incident beam angles, thicknesses of the primary foils, and distance between the primary and secondary foil. The true source and geometry parameters were not known with sufficient accuracy to determine which parameter set, including the energy of the source, was closest to the truth. These results underscore the requirement for experimental benchmarks of depth penetration and electron scatter for beam energies and foils relevant to radiotherapy.

The purpose of this research is to study the influence of different needle materials on the artefact of a prostate brachytherapy iodine seed, placed at the needle tip, in MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)-guided prostate brachytherapy. For this research simulations were performed. The simulations showed that with the currently available MRI compatible titanium needles, determination of the exact seed position is difficult, because of the large artefact at the needle tip. This hampers accurate MRI-guided seed delivery. When a plastic needle is used, the image disturbance is caused by the artefact of the iodine seed alone. When a gradient echo sequence is used, the middle of the seed artefact corresponds well with to middle of the real seed position. With the scan parameters we used this deviation was less than 0.4 mm compared to 1.5 mm when a titanium needle is used.

Twin–twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) is a severe complication of monozygotic (identical) twins, which share one single monochorionic placenta. It is caused by placental anastomoses which link the two fetoplacental circulations of the twins and allow a chronic net inter-twin transfusion to develop between the fetuses. Clinical presentation of TTTS manifestations has been classified into five different stages. In this paper, we used our computational model of TTTS and examined the possible differences between chronic and rapidly increasing inter-twin transfusion in the simulated TTTS staging sequence. Our results suggest that rapid alterations in the net inter-twin transfusion, e.g. due to thrombosis of placental anastomoses, may produce a different staging sequence than in TTTS caused by chronic inter-twin transfusion. These results may aid an improved knowledge of TTTS pathophysiology under conditions of a rapidly changing cardiovascular function, and contribute to the planning of optimal intervention under such circumstances.