Verification and source-position error analysis of film reconstruction techniques used in the brachytherapy planning systems

A method was presented that employs standard linac QA tools to verify the accuracy of film reconstruction algorithms used in the brachytherapy planning system. Verification of reconstruction techniques is important as suggested in the ESTRO booklet 8: "The institution should verify the full process of any reconstruction technique employed clinically." Error modeling was also performed to analyze seed-position errors. The "isocentric beam checker" device was used in this work. It has a two-dimensional array of steel balls embedded on its surface. The checker was placed on the simulator couch with its center ball coincident with the simulator isocenter, and one axis of its cross marks parallel to the axis of gantry rotation. The gantry of the simulator was rotated to make the checker behave like a three-dimensional array of balls. Three algorithms used in the ABACUS treatment planning system: orthogonal film, 2-films-with-variable-angle, and 3-films-with-variable-angle were tested. After exposing and digitizing the films, the position of each steel ball on the checker was reconstructed and compared to its true position, which can be accurately calculated. The results showed that the error is dependent on the object-isocenter distance, but not the magnification of the object. The averaged errors were less than 1 mm within the tolerance level defined by Roú ["The EQUAL-ESTRO audit on geometric reconstruction techniques in brachytherapy," Radiother. Oncol. 78, 78-83 (2006)]. However, according to the error modeling, the theoretical error would be greater than 2 mm if the objects were located more than 20 cm away from the isocenter with a 0.5° reading error of the gantry and collimator angles. Thus, in addition to carefully performing the QA of the gantry and collimator angle indicators, it is suggested that the patient, together with the applicators or seeds inside, should be placed close to the isocenter as much as possible. This method could be used to test the reconstruction techniques of any planning system, and the most suitable one can be chosen for clinical use.