title: An automated procedure for the quality assurance of electron beam output and energy.
abstract: In this article, we report on the development of a simple and accurate method for quality assurance of electron beam output and energy. Aluminum disks of thicknesses d(max) or d50 of the particular electron energy are positioned sequentially over a parallel-plate ion chamber and the ratio of the two signals is compared to the standard. The positioning of the aluminum disks is carried out remotely and automatically to eliminate the necessity of multiple setups. One method utilizes the remote control feature of the treatment couch and another employs a motor-driven carousel. The superior sensitivity over a commercially available energy monitor is illustrated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, Toronto-Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Centre, Toronto, Canada. milton.woo@sw.ca
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.forename: N G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Videla
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D004583:Electrons; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D018499:Linear Energy Transfer; D010315:Particle Accelerators / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011874:Radiometry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D012015:Reference Standards; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards