Characterization and clinical evaluation of a novel IMRT quality assurance system
Open Access
- 1 March 2009
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics
- Vol. 10 (2), 104-119
- https://doi.org/10.1120/jacmp.v10i2.2928
Abstract
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a complex procedure that involves the delivery of complex intensity patterns from various gantry angles. Due to the complexity of the treatment plans, the standard-of-care is to perform measurement based patient-specific quality assurance (QA). IMRT QA is traditionally done with film for relative dose in a plane and an ion chamber for absolute dose. This is a laborious and time-consuming process. In this work, we characterized, commissioned, and evaluated the QA capabilities of a novel commercial IMRT device Delta4, (Scandidos, Uppsala, Sweden). This device consists of diode matrices in 2 orthogonal planes inserted in a cylindrical acrylic phantom that is 22 cm in diameter. Although the system has detectors in only 2 planes, it provides a novel interpolation algorithm that is capable of estimating doses at points where no detectors are present. Each diode is sampled per beam pulse so that the dose distribution can be evaluated on segment-by-segment, beam-by-beam, or as a composite plan from a single set of measurements. The end user can calibrate the system to perform absolute dosimetry eliminating the need for additional ion chamber measurements. The patient’s IMRT plan is imported into the device over the hospital LAN and the results of measurements can be displayed as gamma profiles, distance-to-agreement maps, dose difference maps, or the measured dose distribution can be superimposed of the patient’s anatomy to display an as-delivered plan. We evaluated the system’s reproducibility, stability, pulse-rate dependence, dose-rate dependence, angular dependence, linearity of dose response and energy response using carefully planned measurements. We also validated the system’s interpolation algorithm by measuring a complex dose distribution from an IMRT treatment. Several simple and complex isodose distributions planned using a treatment planning system were delivered to the QA device; the planned and measured dose distributions were then compared and analyzed. In addition, the dose distributions measured by conventional IMRT QA, which uses an ion chamber and film, were compared. We found that this device is accurate and reproducible and that its interpolation algorithm is valid. In addition the supplied software and network interface allow a streamlined IMRT QA process.Keywords
Funding Information
- National Cancer Institute (CA 10953)
This publication has 36 references indexed in Scilit:
- TU‐D‐M100F‐04: Characterisation, Commissioning and Evaluation of DELTA4 IMRT QA SystemMedical Physics, 2007
- SU-FF-T-135: Delta4 - A New IMRT QA DeviceMedical Physics, 2007
- An integrated Monte Carlo dosimetric verification system for radiotherapy treatment planningPhysics in Medicine & Biology, 2007
- Dosimetric Quality Assurance for Intensity–Modulated RadiotherapyStrahlentherapie und Onkologie, 2005
- Evaluation of a 2D diode array for IMRT quality assuranceRadiotherapy and Oncology, 2004
- Patient specific quality assurance for the delivery of intensity modulated radiotherapyJournal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics, 2003
- Physical and dosimetric aspects of a multileaf collimation system used in the dynamic mode for implementing intensity modulated radiotherapyMedical Physics, 1998
- Dosimetric verification of intensity‐modulated fieldsMedical Physics, 1996
- Dosimetric accuracy at low monitor unit settingsThe British Journal of Radiology, 1991
- General specifications for silicon semiconductors for use in radiation dosimetryPhysics in Medicine & Biology, 1987