Initial studies on proton computed tomography using a silicon strip detector telescope

We report initial results of a feasibility study of Proton Computed Tomography and Proton Transmission Radiography for applications in proton therapy treatment planning and patient positioning. The aim of the study is to explore experimentally if PCT, which is based on the measurement of the specific energy loss of protons traversing tissues of different density, may be preferred to X-ray Computed Tomography and X-ray radiography, which are presently used for radiation treatment planning and patient positioning in proton treatment centers. We present first data from proton transmission studies through a hollow aluminum cylinder taken with a telescope of silicon detectors with very high spatial and good energy resolution. In addition, we report the results of GEANT4 simulations of proton transport through the same object, which show good agreement with experimental results and explain the observed features of the proton transmission image. r 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.