{"doi":"10.1002/mp.17318","title":"Toward real‐time, volumetric dosimetry for FLASH‐capable clinical synchrocyclotrons using protoacoustic imaging","abstract":"BACKGROUND: Radiation delivery with ultra-high dose rate (FLASH) radiotherapy (RT) holds promise for improving treatment outcomes and reducing side effects but poses challenges in radiation delivery accuracy due to its ultra-high dose rates. This necessitates the development of novel imaging and verification technologies tailored to these conditions. PURPOSE: Our study explores the effectiveness of proton-induced acoustic imaging (PAI) in tracking the Bragg peak in three dimensions and in real time during FLASH proton irradiations, offering a method for volumetric beam imaging at both conventional and FLASH dose rates. METHODS: We developed a three-dimensional (3D) PAI technique using a 256-element ultrasound detector array for FLASH dose rate proton beams. In the study, we tested protoacoustic signal with a beamline of a FLASH-capable synchrocyclotron, setting the distal 90% of the Bragg peak around 35 mm away from the ultrasound array. This configuration allowed us to assess various total proton radiation doses, maintaining a consistent beam output of 21 pC/pulse. We also explored a spectrum of dose rates, from 15 Gy/s up to a FLASH rate of 48 Gy/s, by administering a set number of pulses. Furthermore, we implemented a three-dot scanning beam approach to observe the distinct movements of individual Bragg peaks using PAI. All these procedures utilized a proton beam energy of 180 MeV to achieve the maximum possible dose rate. RESULTS: = 0.9997), with a consistent fit across different dose rates. The technique successfully provided 3D renderings of Bragg peaks at FLASH rates, validated through absolute Gamma index values. CONCLUSIONS: The protoacoustic system demonstrates effectiveness in 3D visualization and tracking of the Bragg peak during FLASH proton therapy, representing a notable advancement in proton therapy quality assurance. This method promises enhancements in protoacoustic image guidance and real-time dosimetry, paving the way for more accurate and effective treatments in ultra-high dose rate therapy environments.","journal":"Medical Physics","year":2024,"id":459867,"datarank":0.0,"base_score":0.0,"endowment":0.0,"self_citation_contribution":0.0,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.0,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":4,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":0.9649,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":true,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":"2024-01-01","fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":1006772,"name":"Gilberto González","orcid":"0009-0007-9805-8284","position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":762202,"name":"Daniel Owen","orcid":"0000-0003-1106-3616","position":2,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":876450,"name":"Leshan Sun","orcid":"0009-0008-1312-2388","position":3,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":462057,"name":"Yan Liu","orcid":"0000-0002-0658-7469","position":4,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":932470,"name":"T. Zwart","orcid":null,"position":5,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":266836,"name":"Yong Chen","orcid":"0000-0002-8377-5914","position":6,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":397909,"name":"Liangzhong Xiang","orcid":"0000-0002-7228-0510","position":7,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":397906,"name":"Siqi Wang","orcid":"0000-0001-6136-2492","position":0,"is_corresponding":true}],"reference_count":53,"raw_metadata":null,"created_at":"2026-07-19T02:03:59.428859Z","pmid":"39073707","pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}