Comparison of sensitivity characteristics between GAFCHROMIC LD-V1 and GAFCHROMIC XR-QA2 in mammographic dosimetry

Abstract

Abstract In recent years, radiochromic films have begun to be used for dosimetry in mammography; however, the most sensitive GAFCHROMIC XR-QA2 (XR-QA2) film is no longer available owing to its discontinuation. In this study, we evaluated the sensitivity characteristics of GAFCHROMIC LD-V1 (LD-V1) as an alternative to XR-QA2 in the field of mammography, at a low dose and low energy. Our results show that the average ratio of the concentration change of LD-V1 divided by the concentration change of XR-QA2 at each absorbed dose was 53.7%, indicating the sensitivity of LD-V1 to be approximately half of XR-QA2. In addition, the linearity of the concentration change is sufficient even within a dose range of 0.59–14.52 mGy, which is lower than the manufacturer's recommended dose range. Therefore, the LD-V1 is capable of accurate dose assessment even with a low dose and the low level of energy used in mammography.