Irradiation and dosimetry of Nitinol stent for renal artery brachytherapy

This study was conducted to assess the suitability of 48V radioactive stent for use in renal artery brachytherapy. A nickel–titanium alloy Nitinol stent was irradiated over the proton energy range of up to 8.5 MeV, to obtain 48V. The depth dose distribution analysis of the activated stent was done with TLD-700GR in a Perspex phantom. We investigated a unique mixed gamma/beta brachytherapy source of 48V. For a 10 mm outer-diameter 48V stent, the average measured dose rate to vessel was 37 mGy/h. The dosimetry results of the 48V stent suggest that the stent is suitable for use in renal artery brachytherapy.