DEVELOPMENT OF A LOW-DOSE RADIATION THERAPY DEVICE FOR ACUTE RESPRITORY DISTRESS SYNDROME

This research focuses on the development of a low dose radiotherapy (LD-RT) device for treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a respiratory illness that affects millions of people a year. The use of orthovoltage (200 – 500 keV) X-ray energy provides many advantages over traditional radiotherapy delivery with linear accelerators, such as low cost and greater accessibility. In addition, X-ray tubes have been shown throughout history to provide good treatment outcomes for pneumonia, and research has shown LD-RT to be just as effective with ARDS. This proposal summarizes my efforts in determining the dosimetric properties of a LD-RT system to deliver treatment in a fast and effective manner. My research involves Monte Carlo transport simulations in MCNP to calculate the dose delivery and coverage of a whole lung treatment. In addition, different setup geometries and beam modifications will be explored to optimize the treatment delivery. The development of such a system would greatly expand the treatment options for ARDS type illness at a lower cost and greater accessibility than current radiotherapy options.