title: A filter for breast imaging on a radiotherapy X-ray simulator.
abstract: Simulator radiographs taken as a record of breast radiotherapy planning often show ill defined breast tissue margins because exposure parameters are set to optimize visualization of the chest wall rather than the bulk of the breast. This creates difficulties when using simulator images as reference images in verification by comparing with either portal film or images from an electronic portal imaging device. Our aim was to improve breast images taken at simulation without changing exposure parameters that have been optimized for visualization of the chest wall. This has been achieved via an external filter to be used when taking radiographs with the treatment simulator. The filter is made of stainless steel coated with tin and is shaped to maintain acceptable imaging of the chest wall by covering only the section of field anterior to the chest wall. Radiographs of breast simulations using the filter have been accepted as satisfactory by both clinicians and radiographers. The filter is now in routine clinical use for breast and chest wall treatment simulation.
authors.affiliation: Joint Department of Physics, Royal Marsden NHS Trust, Sutton, Surrey, UK.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Utting
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Donovan
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Suter
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D005374:Filtration / Q000295:instrumentation; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted; D014001:Tin
chemical_list: D014001:Tin