Development of a Phantom and Analysis Program for Assessment of Positional Accuracy of Image-guided Radiation Therapy

Abstract

We created a phantom and analysis program for the assessment of IGRT positional accuracy. We verified the accuracy of analysis and the practicality of this evaluation method at several facilities. End-to-end test was performed using an in-house phantom, and EPID images were acquired after displacement by an arbitrary amount using a micrometer, with after image registration as the reference. The difference between the center of the target and the irradiated field was calculated using our in-house analysis program and commercial software. The end-to-end test was conducted at three facilities, and the IGRT positional accuracy evaluation was verified. The maximum difference between the displacement of the target determined from the EPID image and the arbitrary amount of micrometer displacement was 0.24 mm for the in-house analysis program and 0.30 mm for the commercial software. The maximum difference between the center of the target and the irradiation field on EPID images acquired at the three facilities was 0.97 mm. The proposed evaluation method using our in-house phantom and analysis program can be used for the assessment of IGRT positional accuracy.