Using a tungsten rollbar to characterize the source spot of a megavoltage bremsstrahlung linac

Beam modeling and beam model commissioning for Monte Carlo dose calculation-based radiation therapy treatment planning: Report of AAPM Task Group 157

Dose calculation plays an important role in the accuracy of radiotherapy treatment planning and beam delivery. The Monte Carlo (MC) method is capable of achieving the highest accuracy in radiotherapy dose calculation and has been implemented in many commercial systems for radiotherapy treatment planning. The objective of this task group was to assist clinical physicists with the potentially complex task of acceptance testing and commissioning MC-based treatment planning systems (TPS) for photon and electron beam dose calculations. This report provides an overview on the general approach of clinical implementation and testing of MC-based TPS with a specific focus on models of clinical photon and electron beams. Different types of beam models are described including those that utilize MC simulation of the treatment head and those that rely on analytical methods and measurements. The trade-off between accuracy and efficiency in the various source-modeling approaches is discussed together with guidelines for acceptance testing of MC-based TPS from the clinical standpoint. Specific recommendations are given on methods and practical procedures to commission clinical beam models for MC-based TPS.

Dual edge apparatus and algorithm for measurement of x-ray beam spot parameters

PURPOSE

The shape, size, and location of the x-ray beam spot (where the electron beam strikes the target) in a linac-based radiation therapy machine are of potential clinical significance. Established techniques to measure the beam spot parameters involve specialized hardware and typically assess size and shape of the beam spot or its position, but not both. A simple apparatus and algorithm for measuring all beam spot parameters simultaneously is proposed here.

METHODS

The apparatus is composed of two partially transmitting edge plates mounted at different vertical positions. The mount for the apparatus slides into the accessory tray of the linac treatment head so that it rotates with the collimator, and it is imaged by the existing electronic portal imaging device (EPID) over multiple collimator angles. A software algorithm takes the acquired images and uses a parallel-beam CT reconstruction technique to compute beam spot size, shape, and position in one computation. In addition, the wobble of the collimator assembly can be estimated. The overall method was validated with both Monte Carlo simulation and with comparison to in-house spot camera measurements on a radiation therapy system.

RESULTS

The algorithm correctly predicted the beam spot parameters used for the Monte Carlo simulation to better than 50 μm accuracy in all cases. Furthermore, results from the dual edge method matched spot camera results with 30 μm accuracy for beam spot size and shape, with 80 μm average accuracy for beam spot position, and better than 200 μm accuracy for collimator assembly wobble.

CONCLUSIONS

We have developed a combination dual edge apparatus and image processing algorithm that, when used on a radiotherapy linac with an EPID, can accurately determine the size and shape of the electron beam spot, its position relative to collimator rotation axis, and the wobble of the collimator assembly.

Validation of radiographic simulation codes including x-ray phase effects for millimeter-size objects with micrometer structures

The mix between x-ray phase and attenuation information needs to be understood for accurate object recovery from radiography and tomography data. We are researching and experimentally validating algorithms that simulate x-ray phase contrast to determine the required physics necessary for quantitative object recovery. The results of a study are described to determine if a multislice (beam-propagation) method is required for simulating x-ray radiographs. We conclude that the multislice method is not required for accurate simulation of greater than or equal to 8 keV x-ray radiographs of millimeter-size objects with micrometer structures.

Monte Carlo modelling of external radiotherapy photon beams

An essential requirement for successful radiation therapy is that the discrepancies between dose distributions calculated at the treatment planning stage and those delivered to the patient are minimized. An important component in the treatment planning process is the accurate calculation of dose distributions. The most accurate way to do this is by Monte Carlo calculation of particle transport, first in the geometry of the external or internal source followed by tracking the transport and energy deposition in the tissues of interest. Additionally, Monte Carlo simulations allow one to investigate the influence of source components on beams of a particular type and their contaminant particles. Since the mid 1990s, there has been an enormous increase in Monte Carlo studies dealing specifically with the subject of the present review, i.e., external photon beam Monte Carlo calculations, aided by the advent of new codes and fast computers. The foundations for this work were laid from the late 1970s until the early 1990s. In this paper we will review the progress made in this field over the last 25 years. The review will be focused mainly on Monte Carlo modelling of linear accelerator treatment heads but sections will also be devoted to kilovoltage x-ray units and 60Co teletherapy sources.

Geometrical and dosimetrical characterization of the photon source using a micro-multileaf collimator for stereotactic radiosurgery

A micro-multileaf collimator (microMLC) for stereotactic radiosurgery is used for determination of the spatial intensity distribution of the photon source of a linear accelerator. The method is based on grid field dose measurements using film dosimetry and is easy to perform. Since the microMLC does not allow 'direct' imaging of the photon source, special software has been developed to analyse grid field measurements. Besides the source-density function, grid field analysis yields the position of the focal spot in the room laser coordinate system of the linear accelerator and the position of the treatment head rotation axis and the inclination angle of the leaf bank. Thus the method can be used for base dosimetry and for quality assurance in radiosurgery using a microMLC.

Blurring artifacts in megavoltage radiography with a flat-panel imaging system: comparison of Monte Carlo simulations with measurements

Originally designed for use at medical-imaging x-ray energies, imaging systems comprising scintillating screens and amorphous Si detectors are also used at the megavoltage photon energies typical of portal imaging and industrial radiography. While image blur at medical-imaging x-ray energies is strongly influenced both by K-shell fluorescence and by the transport of optical photons within the scintillator layer, at higher photon energies the image blur is dominated by radiation scattered from the detector housing and internal support structures. We use Monte Carlo methods to study the blurring in a notional detector: a series of semi-infinite layers with material compositions, thicknesses, and densities similar to those of a commercially available flat-panel amorphous Si detector system comprising a protective housing, a gadolinium oxysulfide scintillator screen, and associated electronics. We find that the image blurring, as described by a point-spread function (PSF), has three length scales. The first component, with a submillimeter length scale, arises from electron scatter within the scintillator and detection electronics. The second component, with a millimeter-to-centimeter length scale, arises from electrons produced in the front cover of the detector. The third component, with a length scale of tens of centimeters, arises from photon scatter by the back cover of the detector. The relative contributions of each of these components to the overall PSF vary with incident photon energy. We present an algorithm that includes the energy-dependent sensitivity and energy-dependent PSF within a ray-tracing formalism. We find quantitative agreement (approximately 2%) between predicted radiographs with radiographs of copper step wedges, taken with a 9 MV bremsstrahlung source and a commercially available flat-panel system. The measured radiographs show the blurring artifacts expected from both the millimeter-scale electron transport and from the tens-of-centimeters length scale arising from the scattered photon transport. Calculations indicate that neglect of the energy-dependent blurring would lead to discrepancies in the apparent transmission of these wedges of the order of 9%.