title: Tissue compensators with use of vinyl lead sheets for head and neck portals on 4-MV x rays.
abstract: Tissue compensators made with a high atomic number material are compact and retain the skin-sparing effect of megavoltage beams. In this note, we have described the use of a commercially available vinyl lead as a material for tissue compensators for use with 4-MV beams on a Clinac-4/80. The dosimetric data obtained included the sheet's lead equivalence, thickness ratios, surface dose and buildup region, and transmission factors. The presence of a compensator did not alter the beam's skin-sparing effects. It was concluded that the vinyl lead sheets allowed an easy and rapid fabrication of a tissue compensator for head and neck portals of up to 15 X 15 cm.
authors.affiliation: Division of Radiation Oncology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City 52242.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Jani
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Pennington
mesh_terms: D005374:Filtration / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead; D011882:Radiotherapy, High-Energy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014753:Vinyl Compounds
chemical_list: D014753:Vinyl Compounds; C065321:vinyl lead; D007854:Lead