No abstract

A realistic knowledge of the energy spectrum is very important in Quality Control (QC) of X-ray tubes in order to reduce dose to patients. However, due to the implicit difficulties to measure the X-ray spectrum accurately, it is not normally obtained in routine QC. Instead, some parameters are measured and/or calculated. PENELOPE and MCNP5 codes, based on the Monte Carlo method, can be used as complementary tools to verify parameters measured in QC. These codes allow estimating Bremsstrahlung and characteristic lines from the anode taking into account specific characteristics of equipment. They have been applied to simulate an X-ray spectrum. Results are compared with theoretical IPEM 78 spectrum. A sensitivity analysis has been developed to estimate the influence on simulated spectra of important parameters used in simulation codes. With this analysis it has been obtained that the FORCE factor is the most important parameter in PENELOPE simulations. FORCE factor, which is a variance reduction method, improves the simulation but produces hard increases of computer time. The value of FORCE should be optimized so that a good agreement of simulated and theoretical spectra is reached, but with a reduction of computer time. Quality parameters such as Half Value Layer (HVL) can be obtained with the PENELOPE model developed, but FORCE takes such a high value that computer time is hardly increased. On the other hand, depth dose assessment can be achieved with acceptable results for small values of FORCE.

Abstract. An accurate knowledge of the photon spectra emitted by X-ray tubes in radiodiagnostic is essential to better estimate the imparted dose to patients and to improve the quality image obtained with these devices. In this work, it is proposed the use of a flat panel detector together with a PMMA wedge to estimate the actual X-ray spectrum using the Monte Carlo method and unfolding techniques. The MCNP5 code has been used to model different flat panels (based on indirect and direct methods to produce charge carriers from absorbed X-rays) and to obtain the dose curves and system response functions. Most of the actual flat panel devices use scintillator materials that present K-edge discontinuities in the mass energy-absorption coefficient, which strongly affect the response matrix. In this paper, the applicability of different flat panels for reconstructing X-ray spectra is studied. The effect of the mass energy-absorption coefficient of the scintillator material has been studied on the response matrix and consequently, in the reconstructed spectra. Different unfolding methods are tested to reconstruct the actual X-ray spectrum knowing the dose curve and the response function. It has been concluded that the regularization method Modified Truncated Singular Value Decomposition (MTSVD) is appropriate to unfold Xray spectra in all the scintillators studied.

It is difficult to measure the energy spectrum of X-ray tubes due to the pile up effect produced by the high fluence of photons. Using attenuating materials, appropriate detector devices and the Monte Carlo method, primary X-ray spectrum of these devices can be estimated. In this work, a flat panel detector with a PMMA wedge has been used to obtain a dose curve corresponding to certain working conditions of a radiodiagnostic X-ray tube. The relation between the dose curve recorded by the flat panel and the primary X-ray spectrum is defined by a response function. Normally this function can be approximated by a matrix, which can be obtained by means of the Monte Carlo method. Knowing the measured dose curve and the response matrix, the primary X-ray spectrum can be unfolded. However, there are some problems that strongly affect the applicability of this method: i.e. technical features of the flat panel and inherent characteristics of the involved radiation physics (ill-posed problem). Both aspects are analyzed in this work, concluding that the proposed method can be applied with an acceptable accuracy for spectra without characteristic lines, for instance, tungsten anode in the 50-70 kVp range.

Abstract. An accurate knowledge of the photon spectra emitted by X-ray tubes in radiodiagnostic is essential to better estimate the imparted dose to patients and to improve the quality image obtained with these devices. In this work, it is proposed the use of a flat panel detector together with a PMMA wedge to estimate the actual X-ray spectrum using the Monte Carlo method and unfolding techniques. The MCNP5 code has been used to model different flat panels (based on indirect and direct methods to produce charge carriers from absorbed X-rays) and to obtain the dose curves and system response functions. Most of the actual flat panel devices use scintillator materials that present K-edge discontinuities in the mass energy-absorption coefficient, which strongly affect the response matrix. In this paper, the applicability of different flat panels for reconstructing X-ray spectra is studied. The effect of the mass energy-absorption coefficient of the scintillator material has been studied on the response matrix and consequently, in the reconstructed spectra. Different unfolding methods are tested to reconstruct the actual X-ray spectrum knowing the dose curve and the response function. It has been concluded that the regularization method Modified Truncated Singular Value Decomposition (MTSVD) is appropriate to unfold Xray spectra in all the scintillators studied.