Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics最新文献

{"title":"Empowering young minds through STEM education: Engaging high schoolers in Ghana through medical physics.","authors":"Afua A Yorke, Mercy T Schandorf, Abigail N M Quaye, Peniel Tenkorama Twum, Bishwambhar Sengupta, Kwadwo Nkansah-Poku, Juliana A Kplorfia, Jessica Fagestrom","doi":"10.1002/acm2.70126","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/acm2.70126","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To promote diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), an educational presentation and hands-on session was organised to raise awareness of STEM career opportunities among high school girls to introduce the students to the field of medical physics.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>The study involved 65 first-year Senior High School girls, aged 13-16, pursuing general science in Accra, Ghana. This initiative, organised by the Girls Excellence Movement (GEM) in collaboration with a United States (US) institution, implemented the \"heroes in radiation oncology\" program, which included a relatable presentation and hands-on experience in simulation to treatment planning activities. The program's effectiveness was assessed through pre-and post-assessment surveys, and a thematic analysis of student feedback.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Participants' awareness of career fields showed an interest in traditional healthcare professions (92%) and engineering (73.8%), with minimal medical physics awareness (12.3%). Post-presentation survey showed a significant change in participants' perception of medical physics 87.3%. Thematic analysis revealed increased awareness, understanding, and interest, dispelled misconceptions about radiation safety, and highlighted the interdisciplinary nature and career opportunities. The presentation was successful in inspiring participants and expanding their perspectives on medical physics.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The program raised awareness of medical physics among participants, many of whom were previously unfamiliar with the field. Participants reported a newfound understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of medical physics, its connections to biology, mathematics, and engineering.This program can easily be reproduced in community and school outreaches.</p>","PeriodicalId":14989,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics","volume":" ","pages":"e70126"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143982036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhanced analysis of gating latency in 0.35T MR-linac through innovative time synchronization of a motion phantom and plastic scintillation detector.","authors":"Mateb Al Khalifa, Tianjun Ma, Haya Aljuaid, Siyong Kim, William Y Song","doi":"10.1002/acm2.70116","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/acm2.70116","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study aims to evaluate how different gantry angles, breathing rates (BPM), cine image speeds, and tracking algorithms affect beam on/off latency and the subsequent impact on target dose for a 0.35T MR-Linac with a 6 MV FFF beam. The investigation incorporates an image-based MRI4D modus QA motion phantom (MQA) and a measurement-based plastic scintillation detector (PSD).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The MQA's target was customized with an insertion for a 1 mm PSD from BluePhysics. Both the PSD and the MQA were simultaneously synchronized to the Linac to capture latency signals. A plan was created in the ViewRay TPS to deliver dose to the target at three gantry angles (0°, 120°, and 240°). Each gantry angle was evaluated at three breathing rates (10, 12, and 15 BPM). The study also examined two imaging speeds (4 and 8 FPS) and four tracking algorithms.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Across all configurations at 4 FPS, the overall mean beam-on latency was 0.339 ± 0.06 s from the PSD and 0.318 ± 0.06 s from the MQA, whereas at 8 FPS it was 0.630 ± 0.07 s (PSD) and 0.609 ± 0.07 s (MQA). Conversely, the overall mean beam-off latency at 4 FPS was 0.153 ± 0.03 s (PSD) and 0.124 ± 0.03 s (MQA), while at 8 FPS it was 0.121 ± 0.06 s (PSD) and 0.205 ± 0.04 s (MQA). The overall mean difference between gating and non-gating doses was an increase of 12.050 ± 9.2 cGy at 4 FPS and 14.044 ± 7.4 cGy at 8 FPS.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This comprehensive study underscores the significant influence of gantry angle, breathing rate, cine imaging speed, and tracking algorithms on latency and dose delivery accuracy in a 0.35T MR-Linac.</p>","PeriodicalId":14989,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics","volume":" ","pages":"e70116"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144013095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating feature extraction reproducibility across image biomarker standardization initiative-compliant radiomics platforms using a digital phantom.","authors":"Han-Back Shin, Heesoon Sheen, Jang-Hoon Oh, Young Eun Choi, Kihoon Sung, Hyun Ju Kim","doi":"10.1002/acm2.70110","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/acm2.70110","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The aim of this study was to thoroughly analyze the reproducibility of radiomics feature extraction across three Image Biomarker Standardization Initiative (IBSI)-compliant platforms using a digital phantom for benchmarking. It uncovers high consistency among common features while also pointing out the necessity for standardization in computational algorithms and mathematical definitions due to unique platform-specific features.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We selected three widely used radiomics platforms: LIFEx, Computational Environment for Radiological Research (CERR), and PyRadiomics. Using the IBSI digital phantom, we performed a comparative analysis to extract and benchmark radiomics features. The study design included testing each platform's ability to consistently reproduce radiomics features, with statistical analyses to assess the variability and agreement among the platforms.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results indicated varying levels of feature reproducibility across the platforms. Although some features showed high consistency, others varied significantly, highlighting the need for standardized computational algorithms. Specifically, LIFEx and PyRadiomics performed consistently well across many features, whereas CERR showed greater variability in certain feature categories than LIFEx and PyRadiomics.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The study findings highlight the need for harmonized feature calculation methods to enhance the reliability and clinical usefulness of radiomics. Additionally, this study recommends incorporating clinical data and establishing benchmarking procedures in future studies to enhance the role of radiomics in personalized medicine.</p>","PeriodicalId":14989,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics","volume":" ","pages":"e70110"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143990787","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Automated rapidplan model validation using Eclipse scripting API.","authors":"Bradley Beeksma, Andrew Dipuglia, Joerg Lehmann","doi":"10.1002/acm2.70120","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/acm2.70120","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>RapidPlan offers efficiency gains and quality improvements in treatment planning. Prior to its use in the clinic, it requires an extensive validation procedure in which established clinical plans and those generated by the model are compared. The manual iterative nature of this process is resource intensive, as numerous iterations are required to fine-tune and optimize a RapidPlan model. To streamline the efficiency and reduce the resource burden of RapidPlan model validation, a standalone executable auto planning script was written in C# leveraging the Eclipse scripting application programming interface (ESAPI). The script automatically batch generates treatment plans, as well as exports and plots the population-based DVH metrics of these plans, without any user input, reducing the time and effort required to explore and refine model objectives. Configured with adjustable parameters via Excel and .txt files, this approach allows end users to change input variables quickly and easily without needing to re-approve the script. The script has been implemented for a variety of treatment sites, including intact prostate, prostate & nodes, lung, rectum, unilateral head & neck, bilateral head & neck, and liver stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). The process for liver SBRT has been used here as an example to illustrate the use and power of the script. Over numerous iterations, 76 patients in the model set and 17 patients in a validation set were replanned using the script, creating a total of 405 automatic plans with an overall active planning time of 118.7 h. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of automating the RapidPlan model validation process, significantly reducing the time and resource burden associated with traditional manual methods.</p>","PeriodicalId":14989,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics","volume":" ","pages":"e70120"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143965504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Towards better understanding of factors contributing to medical physicist well-being in academic medical centers: A systems-analysis approach.","authors":"Elizabeth Kwong, Chao Chin Liu, Karthik Adapa, Lisa Vizer, Brian Anderson, Damian McHugh, Todd Pawlicki, Moyed Miften, Amit Sawant, Nadia Charguia, Shiva Das, Lawrence B Marks, Jean L Wright, Lukasz Mazur","doi":"10.1002/acm2.70122","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/acm2.70122","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The well-being of medical physicists can impact overall system performance, patient safety, and quality of patient care. There are limited formal assessments of factors contributing to physicists well-being. Nine medical physicists at a US academic medical center were surveyed on 21 workplace factors, drawn from the National Academy of Medicine's systems model of clinician burnout and professional well-being between May 2022 and August 2022. Highly rated factors were summarized and presented to medical physicists in focus groups. Contextual inquiries (a form of shadowing) were conducted to gather additional information about factors contributing to well-being. Qualitative data from the survey, focus groups, and contextual inquiries were used to generate an affinity model, which medical physicists then validated and used to prioritize top factors. Twenty-two medical physicists at the academic medical center and three other US academic medical centers rated these factors by level of impact and level of effort, and improvement recommendations were made based on these results. Key factors affecting medical physicist well-being included inadequate staffing, work-life integration, excessive workload, and time pressure. Twenty-two medical physicists across four institutions prioritized the following top factors for improvement: (i) retain the hybrid work model, (ii) hire additional medical physicists to cover clinic responsibilities, (iii) limit or compensate after hours work, (iv) improve scheduling workflows, and (v) improve communication and visibility from organization-level leadership and administration. High impact, low effort priorities to improve medical physicist well-being across the four institutions include work-life integration, scheduling workflows, and relationships with leadership. These factors seem to be within the improvement control of each radiation oncology center. Further research is needed to establish the generalizability of our findings and spearhead broad policy changes.</p>","PeriodicalId":14989,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics","volume":" ","pages":"e70122"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144002090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Energy dependence of the GAFCHROMIC LD-V1 in the diagnostic radiographic modalities.","authors":"Tatsuhiro Gotanda, Tomoyuki Hasuo, Shinnosuke Nishihara, Kohsei Matsuura, Yasuyuki Kawaji, Hidetoshi Yatake, Shinya Imai, Takuya Akagawa, Nobuyoshi Tanki, Toshizo Katsuda","doi":"10.1002/acm2.70117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/acm2.70117","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The GAFCHROMIC LD-V1 radiochromic film is widely used in dosimetry because it can provide high-resolution two-dimensional dose distributions without processing. This study aimed to evaluate the response characteristics at different effective energies, from the low-energy range of mammography to the high-energy range of computed tomography. Net pixel value (NPV)-absorbed dose calibration curves for the GAFCHROMIC LD-V1 were generated using x-rays with effective energies of 18, 30, 50, and 80 keV to reflect those used in different diagnostic radiographic modalities. The film response was analyzed using calibration curves at each energy level. The coefficients of determination for the calibration curves at 18, 30, 50, and 80 keV were 0.9992, 0.9997, 0.9999, and 0.9976, respectively. The pixel value change at 30 keV was the largest and most sensitive, while the smallest change in pixel value and lowest sensitivity were noted at 18 keV. Because the energy dependence of the GAFCHROMIC LD-V1 is significant below 18 keV and above 80 keV, it is necessary to establish an appropriate NPV-absorbed dose calibration curve for energies below 18 keV and consider the possibility of underestimating the dose at energies above 80 keV.</p>","PeriodicalId":14989,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics","volume":" ","pages":"e70117"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144025444","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Implementation of needle-tracking technology for real-time transrectal ultrasound-guided interstitial gynecological HDR brachytherapy: A feasibility study.","authors":"Lindsey H Bloom, Diandra Ayala-Peacock, Rajesh Venkataraman, Brett Eckroate, Ryan Sanford, Junzo Chino, Yongbok Kim, Julie Raffi, Oana Craciunescu","doi":"10.1002/acm2.70100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/acm2.70100","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To investigate the feasibility of adapting a commercial prostate biopsy system for transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided hybrid gynecological (GYN) high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy (BT). Leveraging 3D-TRUS and MR image fusion, the prototype system aims to improve real-time needle placement accuracy.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>A second-generation, multi-imaging modality female pelvic phantom was developed to validate the system's feasibility. Software and hardware modifications, including user-accessible calibration modules and a redesigned needle guide for multi-needle insertion, were made to the pre-existing commercial system to enable use for GYN BT applications. An end-to-end feasibility test was performed to acquire 3D-TRUS images, perform contour-based registration with pre-implant MR, and insert six needles to targeted locations under real-time TRUS guidance. A 30° tandem without ovoids was added to mimic a hybrid GYN implant. The most proximal and most distal distances between the planned needle track and the visible portion of each inserted needle were measured. A CT/MR image-based treatment plan with a prescribed dose of 6 Gy was generated for the resulting 3D-TRUS-guided implant (tandem and needles) within the phantom.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The modified phantom improved needle visualization and insertion range by de-gassing the silicone and increasing the window size. The system accuracy for average ± standard deviations from intended needle tracks was 1.31 ± 1.36 mm (proximal) and 2.04 ± 2.05 mm (distal). Post-implant imaging confirmed needle placement and good target coverage. Needle placement was verified on CT/MR images and treatment plan quality was clinically acceptable.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>With enhanced needle placement accuracy and integrated clinical workflow, this study demonstrates the feasibility of adapting a commercially available prostate biopsy system for 3D-TRUS-guided hybrid GYN HDR BT.</p>","PeriodicalId":14989,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics","volume":" ","pages":"e70100"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143972161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"AAPM Spring Clinical Meeting - Abstract","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/acm2.70109","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/acm2.70109","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":14989,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics","volume":"26 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/acm2.70109","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143919818","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"AAPM Spring Clinical Meeting - Program","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/acm2.70108","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/acm2.70108","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":14989,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics","volume":"26 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/acm2.70108","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143919817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Practical experience in commissioning ring applicators using ring applicator component type with bravos control software v1.2.","authors":"Xiuxiu He, Michael A Trager, Gil'ad N Cohen, Antonio L Damato, David Aramburu Núñez","doi":"10.1002/acm2.70064","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/acm2.70064","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The Bravos v1.2 control software introduces a ring applicator component type (ACT) with channel length verification to address geometric characteristics and dosimetric discrepancies caused by source positioning inaccuracies. This study aims to commission the ring applicator and investigate the new ring ACT in Bravos 1.2.</p><p><strong>Material and methods: </strong>We evaluated two commissioning methods for a CT/MRI-compatible titanium ring applicator across three Bravos afterloaders and compared the new ring ACT with the traditional rigid ACT. Modifications to Varian's standard commissioning method included: (1) Delivering film plans with a 0.5 cm step size instead of 1 cm; (2) Alternating 0.3 s and 1 s dwell positions for enhanced source positioning analysis; (3) Including both \"odd\" and \"even\" positions to replicate clinical conditions. Films for 30-, 45-, and 60-degree rings (3.2 cm diameter) were delivered using modified methods and manual offsets of 0.0 cm, 0.1 cm, and 0.2 cm. Discrepancies between delivered and planned positions were analyzed, and the optimal offset was validated using clinical plans. Dosimetric differences for various gross tumor volumes (GTVs) and organs at risk (OARs) were assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Film analysis (216 films) identified 0.2 cm as the optimal offset for all rings and afterloaders, minimizing deviations between the planned and delivered dwell positions. The rigid ACT showed larger discrepancies. The optimal offset reduced physical dosimetric differences to < 1% for key clinical metrics (D95, D90, D2cc) across all angles, with negligible differences in EQD2 values.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>A novel commissioning procedure was developed to determine an optimal offset for accurate source positioning and minimize dosimetric discrepancies with the ring ACT. This method improves accuracy compared to the rigid ACT and standardizes commissioning for Bravos afterloaders with the v1.2 control system.</p>","PeriodicalId":14989,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics","volume":" ","pages":"e70064"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144025358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}