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Multileaf collimator interleaf transmission
Author(s) -
Balog J. P.,
Mackie T. R.,
Wenman D. L.,
Glass M.,
Fang G.,
Pearson D.
Publication year - 1999
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 - 10.1118/1.598501
Subject(s) - multileaf collimator , tomotherapy , intensity modulation , optics , collimator , collimated light , materials science , physics , beam (structure) , radiation therapy , linear particle accelerator , laser , medicine , phase modulation , phase noise
Multileaf collimators (MLCs) have advanced past their original design purpose as a replacement for field shaping cerrobend blocks. Typically, MLCs incorporate an interlocking tongue‐and‐groove design between adjacent leaves to minimize leakage between leaves. They are beginning to be used to provide intensity modulation for conformal three‐dimensional radiation therapy. It is possible that a critical target volume may receive an underdose due to the region of overlap if adjacent leaves are allowed to alternate between the open and closed positions, as they might if intensity modulation is employed. This work demonstrates the magnitude of that effect for a commercially available one‐dimensional temporally modulated MLC. The magnitude of the transmission between leaves as a function of leaf separation was also studied, as well as the transmission as a function of leaf rotation away from the source. The results of this work were used for the design of a tomotherapy MLC. The radiation leakage considerations for a tomotherapy MLC are discussed.