title: Polyethylene-lead tissue compensators for megavoltage radiotherapy.
abstract: Tissue compensators afford one the opportunity of producing idealized dose distributions in radiotherapy. We have developed a technique which may be used to produce fast, accurate and inexpensive compensators within a few minutes and requires minimal patient involvement. Three dimensional contour data is acquired using a moire fringe photograph taken at the time of simulation. The photograph is projected to the size needed for the actual compensator and a sketch of the compensator is made. The sketch is placed in a specially designed small portable pantographic unit and the design is traced while the unit cuts the compensator from an indexed polyethylene-lead blank which is premounted on an acrylic tray. The polyethylene-lead material proves to have an ideal combination of properties for compensator construction including relatively high density, ease of machining, good handling characteristics and low cost.
authors.affiliation: Haper-Grace Hospitals, Gershenson Radiation Oncology Center, Detroit, MI 48201.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Spicka
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fleury
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Powers
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead; D011095:Polyethylenes; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011882:Radiotherapy, High-Energy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013679:Technology, Radiologic
chemical_list: D011095:Polyethylenes; D007854:Lead