Collins-Fekete, C-A;
Dikaios, N;
Royle, GJ;
Evans, PM;
(2020)
Statistical limitations in proton imaging.
Physics in Medicine and Biology
, 65
(8)
, Article 085011. 10.1088/1361-6560/ab7972.
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Abstract
Proton imaging is a promising solution to the range uncertainties problem in proton radiotherapy by directly sampling the tissue stopping power. However, no end-to-end characterization of the image quality (signal-to-noise ratio and spatial resolution) against the dose has been done. This work aims to establish a model relating these characteristics and to describe their relationship with the proton energy and object size. The imaging noise originates from two processes: the Coulomb scattering with the nucleus, producing a path deviation, and the energy loss straggling with electrons. Protons are simulated crossing water cylinders of different radii. Noise in the middle of the cylinder increases with thickness crossed and decreases with decreasing energy. The scattering noise is dominant around the cylinder edge whereas the straggling noise is maximal in the middle. The energy that minimizes the noise is the minimal one that cross the widest section of the object. Spatial resolution has an upper limit dictated by Coulomb scattering with the nucleus. A minimum pixel size is defined as one standard deviation of this scattering distribution, in the centre of the object. In conclusion, the model presented will help establish a fair comparison with other imaging techniques and optimize proton imaging quality.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Statistical limitations in proton imaging |
| Location: | England |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1088/1361-6560/ab7972 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6560/ab7972 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI. |
| Keywords: | Dose, noise, proton CT, proton imaging, proton radiography, spatial resolution |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Med Phys and Biomedical Eng |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10093659 |
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