The performance of an optical cone-beam CT scanner adapted for radiochromic film dosimetry

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate commercial optical cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scanners as devices for reading EBT2 radiochromic film. A secondary objective was to implement a spatial correction for stray light present within optical CBCT systems. Square (12.7 × 12.7 cm2) EBT2 films were positioned vertically in the middle of a small water-filled tank, co-linear with the central beam axis of a 12 MeV electron beam. A total dose of 4.0 Gy was delivered at depth of 3.0 cm. Films were imaged prior to irradiation and 24 hours post-irradiation. Two different models of scanners, Vista15™ and Vista10™, were used to read out the irradiated films. In the Vista15™ scanner, residual light scatter was corrected for using: 1) a single vertical slot array and 2) a slot pair array that produced a vertical fan beam of light. Vista10™ was modified to have a smaller acceptance angle of scattered light and further corrections for residual scatter were made using a multiple slot array. With these different geometries, composite ‘open field’ and ‘shadow field’ images were generated and processed to create ‘glare-free’ pre and post-irradiation film images respectively, from which the net optical density (OD) was calculated. Results were compared against the open light field measurement in which no correction for stray light was made. Using the above scanners, EBT2 films were additionally read out to obtain 12 MeV electron and 6 MV photon percentage depth doses. By correcting for stray light it was found that the central-axis change in the net OD increased particularly in the 12 MeV electron build-up region and at the depth of maximum dose (dmax = 3.0 cm) where light transmission is lowest. In the open light field measurement acquired with the Vista15™ scanner the net OD was 0.87 +/−0.02. Using single vertical slot array geometry to correct for stray light, the net OD was 0.94 +/−0.02, while with the slot pair array the net OD was 0.99 +/−0.02. For the same film read out with the ‘modified’ Vista10™ scanner and corrected for scattered light using the multiple slot array technique, a maximum net OD of 1.30 +/−0.02 was obtained. This latter value is comparable to published data obtained with EBT2 film read out with a spectrophotometer. For 12 MeV electron and 6 MV photon percentage depth doses measured with EBT2 film, agreement with thimble ion chamber measurements is shown. The results demonstrate that accurate radiochromic film densitometry can be achieved with optical CBCT scanners and slot array masks that correct for spatially varying stray light within these devices.