title: Spectral reconstruction by scatter analysis for a linear accelerator photon beam.
abstract: Pre-existing methods for photon beam spectral reconstruction are briefly reviewed. An alternative reconstruction method by scatter analysis for linear accelerators is introduced. The method consists in irradiating a small plastic phantom at standard 100 cm SSD and inferring primary beam energy spectral information based on the measurement with a standard Farmer chamber of scatter around the phantom at several specific scatter angles: a scatter curve is measured which is indicative of the primary spectrum at hand. A Monte Carlo code is used to simulate the scatter measurement set-up and predict the relative magnitude of scatter measurements for mono-energetic primary beams. Based on mono-energetic primary scatter data, measured scatter curves are analysed and the spectrum unfolded as the sum of mono-energetic individual energy bins using the Schiff bremsstrahlung model. The method is applied to an Elekta/SL18 6 MV photon beam. The reconstructed spectrum matches the Monte Carlo calculated spectrum for the same beam within 6.2% (average error when spectra are compared bin by bin). Depth dose values calculated for the reconstructed spectrum agree with physically measured depth dose data to within 1%. Scatter analysis is preliminarily shown to have potential as a practical spectral reconstruction method requiring few measurements under standard 100 cm SSD and feasible in any radiotherapy department using a phantom and a Farmer chamber.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon. wj01@aub.edu.lb
authors.forename: Wassim T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Jalbout
authors.forename: Nicholas M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Spyrou
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D010315:Particle Accelerators; D017785:Photons; D011874:Radiometry / Q000379:methods*; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D013057:Spectrum Analysis / Q000379:methods*