The present generation of medical linear accelerators is computer controlled providing great precision in dose delivery in addition to other options, such as conformal radiotherapy which involves intensity modulated fields. These fields are produced with multileaf collimators (MLCs) capable of delivering a radiation beam with a pre-determined modulated intensity using the dynamic capabilities of the MLC leaves. Two dynamic beam delivery methods are currently used: the step and shoot method and the continuous motion method. The first consists of several static subfields with the motion of the leaves occurring without the presence of radiation, while in the other the leaves may move with the beam on. / The work presented here intends to prove that dynamically enabled linear accelerators can be used with confidence by verifying the accuracy and the stability of motions of the movable axes for the two dynamic beam delivery methods. Prior to clinical use, the integrity of the entire beam delivery system must be tested and the dosimetry related to the MLC must be examined. The purpose of this thesis is to develop, analyze and perform tests for the commissioning of the dynamic beam delivery capabilities of a medical linear accelerator and to catalogue these tests to facilitate their implementation in a routine quality assurance program.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.21557 |
| Date | January 1999 |
| Creators | Gélinas, Dominic. |
| Contributors | Podgorsak, E. B. (advisor), Evans, M. D. C. (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Department of Medical Radiation Physics.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001652543, proquestno: MQ50775, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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