Radiotherapy Infrastructure Shielding Calculations: software development for shielding calculations in a linear...

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiation Oncology
• Radiological Engineering

Background:

• Radiotherapy rooms require precise shielding calculations to ensure safety.
• Existing methods for calculating shielding thickness can be complex and time-consuming.
• The development of user-friendly software is crucial for efficient and accurate radiation safety assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a software tool for calculating radiotherapy room shielding thickness.
• To provide a user-friendly graphical interface (GUI) for inputting geometric and dosimetric data.
• To base calculations on established guidelines like NCRP 151 for accuracy and reliability.

Main Methods:

• Developed the "Radiotherapy Infrastructure Shielding Calculations" (RISC) software using MATLAB.
• Implemented a GUI for inputting parameters and calculating primary and secondary barrier thicknesses.
• Validated the software against NCRP 151 examples and real-world shielding reports.

Main Results:

• The RISC software accurately calculates shielding thickness for linear accelerator radiotherapy rooms.
• It supports calculations for various photon energies (4-30 MV) and IMRT techniques.
• The software provides shielding cost estimations and instantaneous dose rate calculations.

Conclusions:

• RISC is a user-friendly, fast, and precise tool for radiotherapy shielding calculations.
• It simplifies the process for medical physicists and can be used in educational settings.
• Future updates will include features like skyshine and door shielding calculations.