Thermoluminescent dosimetry of the selectSeed 125I interstitial brachytherapy seed

This work presents experimental dosimetry results for the new selectSeed I-125 prostate seed design for use with the seedSelectron afterloading device, in accordance with the AAPM advisory that all new low energy interstitial brachytherapy seeds should undergo one Monte Carlo (MC) and at least one experimental dosimetry characterization. TLD dosimetry was per-formed using 120 cylindrical LiF TLD type-100 rods calibrated using a 6 MV photon beam. They were irradiated in solid water phantoms for the experimental determination of the seed dose rate constant, radial dose functions and anisotropy functions. MC simulations were performed for the determination of the TLDs relative energy response that was found position independent and equal to 1.40+/-0.03, and for the calculation of the ratio of dose in liquid water to dose in solid water that was found to be well described by D-liquid water/D-solid (water) = 1.013*r+0.030 presenting only a minor dependence on polar angle. The selectSeed dose rate constant in liquid water was found equal to 0.938+/-0.065 cGy h(-1) U-1, which agrees within experimental uncertainties with corresponding MC results of Lambda(select Seed) = 0.954+/-0.005 cGy h(-1) U-1. The experimental radial dose and anisotropy function results were also found in good agreement with corresponding MC calculations. (C) 2002 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.