Verification of the super-omni wedge concept

Abstract

This study verifies the concept of the super-omni wedge by validating its equations for effective wedge orientation and wedge angle and by comparing the dose distributions it produces with those produced by other wedge techniques. To validate the equations, we calculated dose distributions for 20 combinations of wedge orientations and wedge angles; we then determined the differences between the wedge orientations and angles predicted by the equations and those calculated by a three-dimensional treatment-planning system. To compare the super-omni wedge concept with other techniques, we calculated the dose and position differences between the dose distributions produced by the super-omni wedge concept and those produced by other wedge techniques. The error of wedge orientations ranged from −0.5° to 0.4°, and that of wedge angles ranged from −0.6° to 1.7°. The dose distributions produced by the super-omni wedge were similar and therefore equivalent to those produced by other wedge techniques. Serving as an intermediate step in treatment-planning optimization, the super-omni wedge is a reliable method for producing wedged dose distributions with arbitrary wedge orientations and wedge angles.