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Aim:This study aimed at evaluating the efficacy of treatment planning system (TPS)-based heterogeneity correction for two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) electronic portal imaging device (EPID)-based pretreatment dose verification. An experiment was conducted on the EPID back-projection technique and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).Materials and Methods:Treatment plans were delivered in EPID without a patient to obtain the fluence pattern (FEPID). A heterogeneity correction plane (Fhet) for an open beam of 30 cm × 30 cm was extracted from the TPS. The heterogeneity-corrected measured fluence is developed by matrix element multiplication (FResultant = FEPID × Fhet). Further planes were summed to develop a 3D dose distribution and exported to the TPS. Dose verifications for 2D and 3D were carried out with the corresponding TPS values using 2D gamma analysis (ɣ) and dose volume histogram (DVH) comparison, respectively. Totally, 33 patients (17 head–neck and 16 thorax cases) were evaluated in this study.Results:The head–neck and thorax plans show a 3-mm-distance to agreement (DTA) 3% DD gamma passing of 96.3% ± 2.0% and 95.4% ± 1.8% points, respectively, between FTPS and FResultant. The comparison of the uncorrected measured fluence (FEPID) with FTPS reveals a gamma passing of 82.2% ± 7.3% and 80.4% ± 8.6% for head–neck and thorax cases, respectively. A total of 87 out of the 102 head–neck and thorax beams exhibit a planner gamma passing of 97.6% ± 2.1%. In the 3D-DVH comparison of thorax and head–neck cases, D5% for planning target volume were −0.5% ± 2.2% and −2.1% ± 3.5%, respectively; D95% varies as 1.0% ± 2.7% and 1.4% ± 1.1% between TPS calculated and heterogeneity-corrected-EPID-based dose reconstruction.Conclusion:The novel TPS-based heterogeneity correction can improve the 2D and 3D EPID-based back projection technique. Structures with large heterogeneities can also be handled using the proposed technique.

Objective:This study demonstrates a novel electronic portal imaging device (EPID)-based forward dosimetry approach for pretreatment quality assurance aided by a treatment planning system (TPS).Materials and Methods:Dynamic multileaf collimator intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans were delivered in EPID and fluence was captured on a beam-by-beam basis (FEPID). An open field having dimensions equal to those of the largest IMRT field was used in the TPS to obtain the transmitted fluence. This represented the patient-specific heterogeneity correction (Fhet). To obtain the resultant heterogeneity-corrected fluence, EPID measured fluence was corrected for the TPS generated heterogeneity (FResultant = FEPID × Fhet). Next, the calculated fluence per beam basis was collected from TPS (FTPS). Finally, FResultant and FTPS were compared using a 3% percentage dose difference (% DD)-3 mm distance to agreement [DTA] gamma analysis in an isocentric plane (two-dimensional [2D]) and multiple planes (quasi three-dimensional [3D]) orthogonal to the beam axis.Results:The 2D heterogeneity-corrected dose reconstruction revealed a mean γ passing of the pelvis, thorax, and head-and-neck cases of 96.3% ±2.0%, 96.3% ±1.8%, and 96.1% ±2.2%, respectively. Quasi-3D γ passing for the pelvis, thorax, and head-and-neck cases were 97.5% ±1.4%, 96.3% ±2.4%, and 97.5% ±1.0%, respectively.Conclusion:EPID dosimetry produced an inferior result due to no heterogeneity corrections for sites such as the lung and esophagus. Incorporating TPS-based heterogeneity correction improved the EPID dosimetry result for those sites with large heterogeneity.

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