A Varian 4-MV isocentric therapy accelerator has been modified to perform also as a CT scanner. The goal is to provide a computed tomography capability for use in radiotherapy at low cost. We envision three principal uses for the system. These are (i) to provide two and three-dimensional maps of electron density distribution for CT assisted therapy planning; (ii) to aid in patient set up by providing sectional views of the treatment volume and high contrast scout-mode verification images; and (iii) to provide a means for periodically checking the patients anatomical conformation against that which was used to generate the original therapy plan. The machine was modified by mounting an array of detectors on a frame that is bolted to the counterweight end of the gantry in such a manner as to define a "third generation" CT scanner geometry. Details of the detectors and data acquisition electronics are provided. We present results of phantom studies which demonstrate that this prototype system has a spatial resolution of 4 mm and the ability to discriminate electron density differences of less than 1%. We also show that the system is exactly linear over a wide range of electron densities corresponding to those found in body tissues.

Particle Accelerators↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Imaging with rotating slit apertures and rotating collimators.

The statistical quality of conventional nuclear medical imagery is limited by the small signal collected through low-efficiency conventional apertures. Coded-aperture imaging overcomes this by employing a two-step process in which the object is first efficiently detected as an "encoded" form which does not resemble the object, and then filtered (or "decoded") to form an image. We present here the imaging properties of a class of time-modulated coded apertures which, unlike most coded apertures, encode projections of the object rather than the object itself. These coded apertures can reconstruct a volume object nontomographically, tomographically (one plane focused), or three-dimensionally. We describe a new decoding algorithm that reconstructs the object from its planar projections. Results of noise calculations are given, and the noise performance of these coded-aperture systems is compared to that of conventional counterparts. A hybrid slit-pinhole system which combines the imaging advantages of a rotating slit and a pinhole is described. A new scintillation detector which accurately measures the position of an event in one dimension only is presented, and its use in our coded-aperture system is outlined. Finally, results of imaging test objects and animals are given.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Computed tomography with a linear accelerator with radiotherapy applications.

An earlier paper [Simpson et al., Med. Phys. 9, 574 (1982)] described a computed tomography (CT) scanner that was constructed by adding a detector array to a 4-MV isocentric linear accelerator. Since the previous article, the detector array has been improved and we now demonstrate better than 3-mm spatial resolution and better than 1% relative electron density discrimination. A series of pictures from volunteer patients is included. Normal anatomy is visualized with bone, muscle, fat, and air being clearly delineated.

Adult↗