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Parametrization of head‐scatter factors for rectangular photon fields using an equivalent square formalism
Author(s) -
Yu M. K.,
Murray B.,
Sloboda R.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
medical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.473
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 2473-4209
pISSN - 0094-2405
DOI - 10.1118/1.597617
Subject(s) - square (algebra) , collimator , photon , physics , geometry , root mean square , optics , square root , mathematics , beam (structure) , multileaf collimator , formalism (music) , dosimetry , linear particle accelerator , nuclear medicine , quantum mechanics , medicine , art , musical , visual arts
Head‐scatter factors of symmetric square and rectangular fields (field center on the central beam axis) defined by the upper (Y) and lower (X) jaws for 6 and 15 MV photon beams from 2300CD and 600C accelerators (Varian Associates Inc., Palo Alto, CA) were measured, as well as those for fields shaped by the Y jaws and the multileaf collimator (MLC) of the 2300CD. For rectangular fields, the head‐scatter factor for the field ( x = a and y = b ) was different from that for the field ( y = a and x = b ). This difference was 2%–3% for fields defined by conventional collimators when | x − y | was large, and became 4%–5% when the MLC and Y jaws were used to shape the fields with the X jaws retracted. In order to calculate values for head‐scatter factors of rectangular fields accurately using an equivalent square formalism, the side of the equivalent square should be obtained with different weights for lower and upper jaws, as proposed by Vadash and Bjärngard [Med. Phys. 20 , 733‐734 (1993)]. Our measurements demonstrate that the relative weight ( G ) of upper and lower jaws is strongly dependent on their distances from the x‐ray source, while the beam energy has little effect on the value of G . We further show that G can be calculated simply from these distances. An analytical representation for head‐scatter factors of square and rectangular fields is also developed in this paper. The quality of this representation was judged by the root‐mean‐square (rms) deviation from measured head‐scatter factors, which ranged from 0.11%–0.27%.