ABSTRACT
Short and semi-automated quality assurance (QA) programs are becoming one of the most popular and highly demanding tasks in radiotherapy. The current research investigates the accuracy of a four degrees of freedom (4DoF) medical linear accelerator couch positioning with a fast and accurate method based on images acquired using an electronic portal imaging device (EPID). An accurate EPID QA phantom and a proper in-house code were used. A Siemens medical linear accelerator equipped with an a-Si EPID was used to acquire portal images. For verifying the mechanical performance of the EPID positioning, EPID sensitivity, and accuracy of the code response from the image processing point of view were investigated. To characterize the results, three deviations in the phantom positioning were deliberately created. The translational and rotational displacements of the treatment couch were then evaluated. The loading effect on the treatment couch was then investigated. The results of prerequisite tests, including the mechanical performance of the EPID, and the sensitivity and accuracy of the recognition codes, were assessed. The results were found to be within the tolerance range reported at AAPM TG-142. The mean deviations of the tests between expected and measured displacements by 4DoF treatment couch were found to be 0.13° ± 0.11°, 0.12 ± 0.17 mm, 0.17 ± 0.13 mm, and 0.04 ± 0.09 mm for rotational, longitudinal, lateral, and vertical shifts, respectively. The results showed that the proposed method is a reliable and fast approach to find the uncertainties occurring intreatment couch positioning.
Subject(s)
Electrical Equipment and Supplies , Particle AcceleratorsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Radiation therapy using electron beams is a promising method due to its physical dose distribution. Monte Carlo (MC) code is the best and most accurate technique for forespeaking the distribution of dose in radiation treatment of patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We report an MC simulation of a linac head and depth dose on central axis, along with profile calculations. The purpose of the present research is to carefully analyze the application of MC methods for the calculation of dosimetric parameters for electron beams with energies of 8-14 MeV at a Siemens Primus linac. The principal components of the linac head were simulated using MCNPX code for different applicators. RESULTS: The consequences of measurements and simulations revealed a good agreement. Gamma index values were below 1 for most points, for all energy values and all applicators in percent depth dose and dose profile computations. A number of states exhibited rather large gamma indices; these points were located at the tail of the percent depth dose graph; these points were less used in in radiotherapy. In the dose profile graph, gamma indices of most parts were below 1. The discrepancies between the simulation results and measurements in terms of Zmax, R90, R80 and R50 were insignificant. The results of Monte Carlo simulations showed a good agreement with the measurements. CONCLUSION: The software can be used for simulating electron modes of a Siemens Primus linac when direct experimental measurements are not feasible.
ABSTRACT
We have calculated Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for 127I (quadrupolar nuclei I=5/2) in binary metal iodides XI (X=Li, Na, K, Rb and Cs) by using PBE- GGA, YS- PBE0 and mBJ exchange correlation potentials. The results show that the nature of bonds between Iodine and metal atoms are ionic. The main contribution in NMR spectroscopy is related to the induced current inside the atomic sphere and the remainder of the unit cell volume contributes only a few ppm. Obtained NMR shifts are compared with the NMR shielding data and the NMR shielding for metal-p band varies across the series about 221ppm. Density of states results indicate that the largest contribution in the shielding comes from the I-core electrons (1s and 4d). The NMR shielding graphs show that there are negative linear correlation with slope -1.18, -1.16 and -1.01 by PBE- GGA, YS- PBE0 and mBJ, respectively. The computed results by mBJ are in good agreement with the experimental values.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study is to simulate 6 MV and 18 MV photon beam energies of a Siemens Primus Plus medical linear accelerator (Linac) and to verify the simulation by comparing the results with the measured data. METHODS: The main components of the head of Siemens Primus Plus linac were simulated using MCNPX Monte Carlo (MC) code. To verify the results, experimental data of percentage depth dose (PDD) and beam dose profile for 5 × 5 cm2, 10 × 10 cm2 and 20 × 20 cm2 field sizes were measured and compared with simulation results. Moreover, gamma function was used to compare the measurement and simulation data. RESULTS: The results show a good agreement, within 1%, was observed between the data calculated by the simulations and those obtained by measurement for 6 MV photon beam, while it was within 2% for 18 MV photon beam, except in the build-up region for both beams. Gamma index values were less than unity in most data points for all the mentioned energies and fields. To calculate the dose in the phantom, cells were selected in different modes, one of the modes due to the lack of dose gradient and overlapping, produced better results than others produce. CONCLUSION: There was good settlement between measured and MC simulation values in this research. The simulation programs can be used for photon modes of Siemens Primus Plus linac in conditions in which it is not possible to perform experimental measurements.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In radiation therapy with ion beams, lateral distributions of absorbed dose in the tissue are important. Heavy ion therapy, such as carbon-ion therapy, is a novel technique of high-precision external radiotherapy which has advantages over proton therapy in terms of dose locality and biological effectiveness. METHODS: In this study, we used Monte Carlo method-based Geant4 toolkit to simulate and calculate the effects of energy, shape and type of ion beams incident upon water on multiple scattering processes. Nuclear reactions have been taken into account in our calculation. A verification of this approach by comparing experimental data and Monte Carlo methods will be presented in an upcoming paper. RESULTS: Increasing particle energies, the width of the Bragg curve becomes larger but with increasing mass of particles, the width of the Bragg curve decreases. This is one of the advantages of carbon-ion therapy to treat with proton. The transverse scattering of dose distribution is increased with energy at the end of heavy ion beam range. It can also be seen that the amount of the dose scattering for carbon-ion beam is less than that of proton beam, up to about 160mm depth in water. CONCLUSION: The distortion of Bragg peak profiles, due to lateral scattering of carbon-ion, is less than proton. Although carbon-ions are primarily scattered less than protons, the corresponding dose distributions, especially the lateral dose, are not much less.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The most common intravascular brachytherapy sources include (32)P, (188)Re, (106)Rh and (90)Sr/(90)Y. In this research, skin absorbed dose for different covering materials in dealing with these sources were evaluated and the best covering material for skin protection and reduction of absorbed dose by radiation staff was recognized and recommended. METHOD: Four materials including polyethylene, cotton and two different kinds of plastic were proposed as skin covers and skin absorbed dose at different depths for each kind of the materials was calculated separately using the VARSKIN3 code. RESULTS: The results suggested that for all sources, skin absorbed dose was minimized when using polyethylene. Considering this material as skin cover, maximum and minimum doses at skin surface were related to (90)Sr/(90)Y and (106)Rh, respectively. CONCLUSION: polyethylene was found the most effective cover in reducing skin dose and protecting the skin. Furthermore, proper agreement between the results of VARSKIN3 and other experimental measurements indicated that VRASKIN3 is a powerful tool for skin dose calculations when working with beta emitter sources. Therefore, it can be utilized in dealing with the issue of radiation protection.