SU‐C‐304‐06: Determination of Intermediate Correction Factors for Three Dosimeters in Small Composite Photon Fields Used in Robotic Radiosurgery

Abstract

Purpose:To calculate using Monte‐Carlo the intermediate and total correction factors (CFs) for two microchambers and a plastic scintillator for composite fields delivered by the CyberKnife system.Methods:A linac model was created in BEAMnrc by matching percentage depth dose (PDD) curves and output factors (OFs) measured using an A16 microchamber with Monte Carlo calculations performed in egs_chamber to explicitly model detector response. Intermediate CFs were determined for the A16 and A26 microchambers and the W1 plastic scintillator in fourteen different composite fields inside a solid water phantom. Seven of these fields used a 5 mm diameter collimator; the remaining fields employed a 7.5 mm collimator but were otherwise identical to the first seven. Intermediate CFs are reported relative to the respective CF for a 60 mm collimator (800 mm source to detector distance and 100 mm depth in water).Results:For microchambers in composite fields, the intermediate CFs that account for detector density and volume were the largest contributors to total CFs. The total CFs for the A26 were larger than those for the A16, especially for the 5 mm cone (1.227±0.003 to 1.144±0.004 versus 1.142±0.003 to 1.099±0.004), due to the A26's larger active volume (0.015 cc) relative to the A16 (0.007 cc), despite the A26 using similar wall and electrode material. The W1 total and intermediate CFs are closer to unity, due to its smaller active volume and near water‐equivalent composition, however, 3–4% detector volume corrections are required for 5 mm collimator fields. In fields using the 7.5 mm collimator, the correction is nearly eliminated for the W1 except for a non‐isocentric field.Conclusion:Large and variable CFs are required for microchambers in small composite fields primarily due to density and volume effects. Corrections are reduced but not eliminated for a plastic scintillator in the same fields.