Methods

For the simulation of dose distributions currently two main strategies are used: pencil beam methods and Monte Carlo simulation.

In the framework of Monte Carlo simultaions the relevant physical processes are studied on a microscopic level. Local inhomogenities of the tissue can be modelled in great detail. But, this precision is extremely costly with regard to computation times, which exclud such methods from a broad clinical use.

On the other hand, pencil beam methods model and use scattering kernels that describe the transportation of energy and its distribution in the tissue. This method is fast and easy to implement, but, inhomogeneities of the tissue cannot be modelled in a completely satisficing way.

A compromise between the described standard approaches is a model that is based on transportation equation that support a precise embedding of inhomogeneities.

In the medical physics literature this approach is not much evaluated. At Fraunhofer ITWM there is a deep expertise in modelling and numerical evaluation of transportation equations of different kinds that on which a thorough study of dose distributions can be based.

Project goal

The ultimate goal of the ITWM reseachers is to develop and to implement a numerical algorithm based on transportation equations that compromises between precision of Monte Carlo simulations and computational ease of pencial beam approaches.

Stand: 01.08.03

Contact:

	Dr. habil. Karl-Heinz Küfer Tel.: +49 (0)631/36681-13