Hydrogels as a water bolus during hyperthermia treatment.

Hydrogels as a water bolus during hyperthermia treatment. Phys Med Biol. 2019 Mar 04;: Authors: Dobsicek Trefna H, Ström A Abstract The feasibility of using hydrogels as a water bolus during hyperthermia treatment was assessed. Three types of gels, high methoxyl (HM) pectin/alginate, xanthan/locust bean gum (LBG) and xanthan/LBG/agarose were evaluated based on their dielectric properties, rheological and mechanical properties. The most suitable, xanthan/LBG/agarose, gel was further used as a water bolus in a hyperthermia array applicator. The gels composed of polysaccharides carrying low charge displayed dielectric properties close to those of water, while the dielectric properties of HM pectin/alginate gel was deemed unsuitable
 for the current application. The mechanical examination shows that the xanthan/LBG gel has a non-brittle behaviour at room
 temperature, in contrast to the agarose gel. The moduli of the xanthan/LBG gel weaken however considerably between the
 temperature range of 40 and 50°C, reducing its potential to be used as water bolus. The ternary system of xanthan/LBG/agarose
 had advantageous behaviour as it was dominated by the thermal hysteresis typical of agarose upon temperature increase, but gov-
 erned by the typical non-brittle behaviour of the xanthan/LBG at low temperatures. The final evaluation within the hyperther-
 mia applicator showed excellent signal t...
Source: Physics in Medicine and Biology - Category: Physics Authors: Tags: Phys Med Biol Source Type: research
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