title: A monitor unit "odometer" for measuring linac workload.
abstract: The annual linac workload is often required by regulatory agencies to assess compliance with license conditions. Summation of the monitor units produced by the machine is generally used for this purpose. Various methods of estimating this value have inherent inaccuracies. We have built an integrating Monitor Unit "odometer" that is able to automatically accumulate all MUs delivered by the linac and segregate the total by mode (photon or electron) and energy. The device has been used to record clinical linac MU workloads for 10 months, and was installed in a new dual-energy linac during the acceptance and commissioning process.
authors.affiliation: Medical Physics, McGill University Health Center Montreal, QC, Canada. mevans@medphys.mcgill.ca
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Larkin
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Léger
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Podgorsak
mesh_terms: D004583:Electrons; D004867:Equipment Design; D017785:Photons; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012984:Software; D013997:Time Factors