Monte Carlo investigation of the dosimetric properties of the new Model Pd‐1 source

Recently, brachytherapy sources have been increasingly used for interstitial implants as an alternative to sources. The BrachySeed™Pd‐103 Model Pd‐1 seed is one of the latest in a series of new brachytherapy sources that have become available commercially. The dosimetric properties of the seed were investigated by Monte Carlo simulation, which was performed using the Integrated Tiger Series CYLTRAN code. Following the AAPM Task Group 43 formalism, the dose rate constant, radial dose function, and anisotropy parameters were determined. The dose rate constant, Λ, was calculated to be This air kerma strength was derived from Monte Carlo simulation using the point extrapolation method. The radial dose function, was computed at distances from 0.15 to 10 cm. The anisotropy function, and anisotropy factor, were calculated at distances from 0.5 to 7 cm. The anisotropy constant, was determined to be 0.978, which is closer to unity than most other seeds, indicating a high degree of uniformity in dose distribution. The dose rate constant and the radial dose function were also investigated by analytical modeling, which served as an independent evaluation of the Monte Carlo data, and found to be in good agreement with the Monte Carlo results.

Monte Carlo investigation of the dosimetric properties of the new Model Pd‐1 source Journal Articles