SU‐E‐T‐503: Development of a Software Tool for Verification of Delivered Tomotherapy Plans Using the Tomo Log File

Abstract

Purpose:The data receive server (DRS) in the Tomotherapy Unit records planned and actually delivered plan parameters for each treatment into a log file. The purpose of this study was to develop a software tool using the log file for verification of the patient plan delivered during treatment.Methods:A software tool, TomoPQA, was developed using the Python programming language. The software was implemented using object‐oriented methodology and modular design. The program has three built‐in modules: Read‐in module for loading the log file, analysis module for analyzing the log file and reporting module for producing a PDF report.Results:The developed software tool can be used to monitor and check the following plan parameters during patient treatment: (1) planned and actual field width; (2) planned and actual treatment time; (3) planned and actual couch speed; (4) planned and actual gantry speed; (4) planned and actual setup position. The software shows the difference between these parameters as a graphic plot against each treatment fraction in a PDF report for easy review or these values can be exported to an excel file. The program can process a 100M byte log file and produce a report in the order of one minute and can run on Windows, Linux or Mac platforms as a standalone program. A server version of this program can also be implemented for full automation of the log file processing, generation of the PDF report and also has the potential for an automated email if given values are out of tolerance.Conclusion:A QA software tool has been developed for in‐vivo quality assurance of treatment delivered on a Tomotherapy Unit. This tool provides an independent verification of the difference between actual delivered and planned parameters during treatment.