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Temperature dosimetry using MR relaxation characteristics of poly(vinyl alcohol) cryogel (PVA‐C)
Author(s) -
Lukas L.A.,
Surry K.J.M.,
Peters T.M.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.696
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1522-2594
pISSN - 0740-3194
DOI - 10.1002/mrm.1288
Subject(s) - vinyl alcohol , dosimetry , materials science , relaxation (psychology) , calibration , analytical chemistry (journal) , polymer , nuclear magnetic resonance , nuclear medicine , composite material , chemistry , chromatography , medicine , mathematics , physics , statistics
Hyperthermic therapy is being used for a variety of medical treatments, such as tumor ablation and the enhancement of radiation therapy. Research in this area requires a tool to record the temperature distribution created by a heat source, similar to the dosimetry gels used in radiation therapy to record dose distribution. Poly(vinyl alcohol) cryogel (PVA‐C) is presented as a material capable of recording temperature distributions between 45 and 70°C, with less than a 1°C error. An approximately linear, positive relationship between MR relaxation times and applied temperature is demonstrated, with a maximum of 16.3 ms/°C change in T 1 and 10.2 ms/°C in T 2 for a typical PVA‐C gel. Applied heat reduces the amount of cross‐linking in PVA‐C, which is responsible for a predictable change in T 1 and T 2 times. Temperature distributions in PVA‐C volumes may be determined by matching MR relaxation times across the volumes to calibration values produced in samples subjected to known temperatures. Factors such as thermotolerance, perfusion effects, and thermal conductivity of PVA‐C are addressed for potentially extending this method to modeling thermal doses in tissue. Magn Reson Med 46:1006–1013, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.