Experimental validation of Monte Carlo dose calculations about a high-intensity lr-192 source for pulsed dose-rate brachytherapy

Despite widespread use of high-intensity lr-192 remotely afterloaded sources, no published measured or calculated dose-rate tables for currently used source designs are available. For a pulsed dose-rate lr-192 source, both transverse axis (0.5-10 cm) and two-dimensional polar dose-rate profiles (1.5, 3, and 5 cm) were measured with thermoluminescent dosimetry in a solid water phantom. Dose rates were normalized to measured air-kerma strength, and the source geometry was verified by pinhole autoradiography and transmission radiography. At each measurement point, dose rates were calculated by a Monte Carlo photon transport (MCPT) code, which realistically modeled the experimental phantom, source, and detector geometry. Agreement between MCPT absolute dose-rate calculations and measurements averaged 3% and was less than 5%, demonstrating that Monte Carlo simulation is an accurate and powerful tool for two-dimensional dosimetric characterization of high activity lr-192 sources.