Transit Dosimetry for Patient Treatment Verification with an Electronic Portal Imaging Device
type: CreativeWork
description: The complex and individualized photon fluence patterns constructed during intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment planning must be verified before they are delivered to the patient. There is a compelling argument for additional verification throughout the course of treatment due to the possibility of data corruption, unintentional modification of the plan parameters, changes in patient anatomy, errors in patient alignment, and even mistakes in identifying the correct patient for treatment. Amorphous silicon (aSi) Electronic Portal Imaging Devices (EPIDs) can be utilized for IMRT verification. The goal of this thesis is to implement EPID transit dosimetry, measurement of the dose at a plane behind the patient during their treatment, within the clinical process. In order to achieve this goal, a number of the EPID's dosimetric shortcomings were studied and subsequently resolved. Portal dose images (PDIs) acquired with an aSi EPID suffer from artifacts related to radiation backscattered asymmetrically from the EPID support structure. This backscatter signal varies as a function of field size (FS) and location on the EPID. Its presence can affect pixel values in the measured PDI by up to 3.6%. Two methods to correct for this artifact are offered: discrete FS specific correction matrices and a single generalized equation. The dosimetric comparison between the measured and predicted through-air dose images for 49 IMRT treatment fields was significantly improved (p << .001) after the application of these FS specific backscatter corrections. The formulation of a transit dosimetry algorithm followed the establishment of the backscatter correction and a confirmation of the EPID's positional stability with linac gantry rotation. A detailed characterization of the attenuation, scatter, and EPID response behind an object in the beam's path is necessary to predict transit PDIs. In order to validate the algorithm's performance, 49 IMRT fields were delivered to a numb…
abstract: The complex and individualized photon fluence patterns constructed during intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment planning must be verified before they are delivered to the patient. There is a compelling argument for additional verification throughout the course of treatment due to the possibility of data corruption, unintentional modification of the plan parameters, changes in patient anatomy, errors in patient alignment, and even mistakes in identifying the correct patient for treatment. Amorphous silicon (aSi) Electronic Portal Imaging Devices (EPIDs) can be utilized for IMRT verification. The goal of this thesis is to implement EPID transit dosimetry, measurement of the dose at a plane behind the patient during their treatment, within the clinical process. In order to achieve this goal, a number of the EPID's dosimetric shortcomings were studied and subsequently resolved. Portal dose images (PDIs) acquired with an aSi EPID suffer from artifacts related to radiation backscattered asymmetrically from the EPID support structure. This backscatter signal varies as a function of field size (FS) and location on the EPID. Its presence can affect pixel values in the measured PDI by up to 3.6%. Two methods to correct for this artifact are offered: discrete FS specific correction matrices and a single generalized equation. The dosimetric comparison between the measured and predicted through-air dose images for 49 IMRT treatment fields was significantly improved (p << .001) after the application of these FS specific backscatter corrections. The formulation of a transit dosimetry algorithm followed the establishment of the backscatter correction and a confirmation of the EPID's positional stability with linac gantry rotation. A detailed characterization of the attenuation, scatter, and EPID response behind an object in the beam's path is necessary to predict transit PDIs. In order to validate the algorithm's performance, 49 IMRT fields were delivered to a numb…
author: Berry, Sean Lawrence
language: English
keywords: Physics, Radiotherapy, Radiation dosimetry, Amorphous semiconductors, Diagnostic imaging--Digital techniques
date published: 2012
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:44:18Z
provider: Columbia University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Columbia University

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.7916/D8794BRT