Abstract
An optical fibre sensor is presented, based on radioluminescence whereby radiation sensitive scintillation material, terbium doped gadolinium oxysulphide (Gd2O2S:Tb), is embedded in the core of a plastic optical fibre. The sensor is designed for in-vivo monitoring of the radiation dose during radio-active seed implantation for brachytherapy, in prostate cancer treatment, providing oncologists with real-time information of the radiation dose to the target area and or nearby critical structures. The radiation from the brachytherapy seeds causes emission of visible light from the scintillation material through the process of radioluminescence, which penetrates the fibre, propagating along the optical fibre for remote detection using a multi-pixel photon counter. The sensor demonstrates a high sensitivity to Iodine-125, the radioactive source most commonly used in brachytherapy for treating prostate cancer. Further results show a discernible increase in photon counts for increasing activities of Iodine-125.
| Original language | English (Ireland) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | 2015 IEEE SENSORS |
| Publisher | IEEE |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 1930-0395 |
| ISBN (Print) | 1930-0395 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2015 |
Authors (Note for portal: view the doc link for the full list of authors)
- Authors
- O'Keeffe, S;Woulfe, P;Sullivan, FJ