SU‐FF‐J‐92: Measurement of Linear Accelerator Photon Beam Spot Size and Assessment of Its Long‐Term Stability

Abstract

Purpose: To characterize the beam spot size of Siemens linear accelerators and assess its long‐term stability for megavoltage cone‐beam CT (MV‐CBCT) application. Method and Materials: A laminated beam spot camera of length 20 cm was constructed for the measurement of the beam spot size. With the linac gantry at 180°, the camera was positioned on the compensator tray and a Kodak XV film placed on it. An exposure was delivered using photon (6, 10, 18 MV) beams and the FWHM of the resulting source intensity profile used as a measure of the beam spot size. Measurement of the beam spot size was performed in both the gun‐target direction (in‐plane) and the cross‐plane direction for seven Siemens accelerators. To assess the long‐term stability of the beam spot size, measurements taken 1 year apart were compared to each other. Results: The measured beam spot diameters (FWHM) range from 1.6–2.8 mm. For all accelerators, the in‐plane spot size was equal to or larger than the corresponding cross‐plane spot size by up to 0.6 mm. Treatment units of the same design had spot sizes that were, in general, not identical but differed by up to 1 mm. Comparison of measurements on the Primus' and Mevatrons showed the introduction of the former (new generation accelerators) did not necessarily lead to a reduction in the spot size. Also, beam spot sizes measured 1 year apart were found to be similar. Conclusions: The new accelerator models did not in general provide an improvement in the spot size compared to the old models. Assessment of the long‐term stability of the beam spot showed the spot size remains fairly stable over time. However, the observed spot sizes are large in relation to focal spot size of diagnostic x‐ray imaging devices, and this might compromise MV‐CBCT image quality.