Abstract
Purpose:To develop a practical device having sufficient accuracy for daily QA tests of accelerators used for SRS and SBRT.Methods:The UAB (Universal Alignment Ball) consists of a 6.35 mm (1/4 inch) diameter tungsten sphere located concentrically within a 25.4 mm (1 inch) diameter acrylic plastic (PMMA) sphere. The spheres are embedded in polystyrene foam, which, in turn, is surrounded by a cylindrical PMMA shell. The UAB is placed on the couch and aligned with wall lasers according to marks that have known positions in relation to the center of the spheres. Using planar and cone beam images the couch is shifted till the surface of the PMMA sphere matches Eclipse‐generated circular contours. Anterior and lateral MV images taken with small MLC openings allow measurement of distance between kV and MV isocenter, laser and MLC alignment. Measurements were taken over a one‐month period.Results:Artifacts from the tungsten sphere were confined within the PMMA sphere and did not affect cone beam localization of the sphere boundary, allowing 0.1 mm precise alignment with a computer‐generated circle centered at kV isocenter. In tests extending over a one‐month period, the distance between kV and MV isocenters along the vertical, longitudinal and lateral directions was 0.125 +/−0.06, 0.19 +/−0.08, and 0.02 +/−0.08 mm, respectively. Laser misalignment along these directions was 0.34 +/‐ 0.15, 0.74 +/−0.29, and 0.49 +/−0.22 mm. Automated couch shifts moved the spheres to within 0.1 mm of the selected position. The center of a 1cmx1cm MLC‐defined field remained within +/−0.2 mm of the tungsten sphere center as the gantry was rotated.Conclusion:The UAB is practical for daily end‐to‐end QA tests of accelerator alignment. It provides tenths‐mm accuracy for measuring agreement of kV and MV isocenters, couch motions, gantry flex and laser alignment.
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