Characterization of the Halcyon TM multileaf collimator system

Tze Yee Lim, Irena Dragojević, David Hoffman, Everardo Flores-Martinez, Gwe Ya Kim

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

65 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: To characterize the stacked and staggered dual-layer multileaf collimator (MLC) on the Halcyon TM system. Methods: The novel MLC assembly was reviewed and compared to the widely used Millennium TM 120-leaf MLC system. We investigated the MLC positioning stability over 70 days using Machine Performance Check (MPC) data. We evaluated the leaf transmission, penumbra, leaf end effect, and leaf edge effect. Leaf transmission through distal, proximal, and both MLC layers was measured with a Farmer chamber, by comparing an open and a closed field. Leaf penumbra was measured using film for three different MLC-defined field sizes. The leaf end effect was measured with sweeping gap fields of varying gap sizes defined by the distal MLC. The leaf edge effect was evaluated using the Electronic Portal Imaging Device (EPID) for the different banks, gantry positions, and collimator angles. Point dose measurements for 10 test plans were compared to dose predictions of two dose calculation model versions. Results: From MPC data, the largest measured MLC positioning accuracy deviation was within 0.1 mm. The proximal MLC exhibited greater deviations compared to the distal MLC. The distal-and-proximal-combination had reduced inter-leaf and intra-leaf transmission compared to delivery with distal-only. The measured leaf transmission was 0.41% for distal-only, 0.40% for proximal-only, and negligible for distal-and-proximal-combination. The leaf end penumbra was wider compared to the leaf edge penumbra. The leaf end effect was measured to be −0.2 mm. The leaf edge effect showed minimal bank, gantry position, and collimator angle dependence. However, a systematic deviation between measurements and treatment planning system handling of the leaf edge effect was observed. The discrepancy between the measured and predicted dose in the 10 test plans improved with the latest version of the dose calculation algorithm. Conclusion: The characteristics of the stacked and staggered dual-layer MLC on the Halcyon TM system were presented.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)106-114
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of applied clinical medical physics
Volume20
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2019
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Halcyon
  • MLC
  • dual-layer
  • multileaf collimators

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Radiation
  • Instrumentation
  • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging

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