Design, optimization, and testing of ridge filters for proton FLASH radiotherapy at TRIUMF: The HEDGEHOG

TRIUMF has recently developed and implemented a workflow to design and fabricate application-specific ridge filters, which is a key upgrade to enable research using ultra-high (FLASH) dose rate beam delivery at its Proton Therapy Research Centre. These static ridge filters, called HEDGEHOGs, replace the rotating modulator wheels used to create a spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) during conventional proton radiotherapy beam delivery, which are incompatible with the fast irradiation times of clinical doses at FLASH dose rates at TRIUMF. Initial beam commissioning of HEDGEHOGs demonstrated that they produce spread-out Bragg peaks matching their design parameters. Additional studies of some of the design parameters, including SOBP widths as well as different pin diameters and fabrication options (material, 3D printer technology) have now been completed. Based on those studies, the use of liquid medium printers (resin, jet) instead of filament printers is recommended. These studies also demonstrate that the lateral dose uniformity of the beam at 36.5 cm from the HEDGEHOG location is acceptable even with relatively large 7 mm base-diameter pins. The code base and workflow are made publicly available and can easily be adapted to other facilities. The feasibility of adapting the HEDGEHOG workflow to other beam lines or facilities was validated on a second proton beam line at the same facility at which the HEDGEHOG workflow was developed.