The most Comprehensive, Reliable, Economical and Easy to use GAFCHROMIC film based RT QA system Updated Feb 08
GAFCHROMIC EBT dosimetry film Designed and optimized for ALL RT procedures Can be cut into shapes as required Wide dose range 1cGy to 800cGy Ideal for processor-less environment Eliminates processor noise and drift artifacts Energy independent/dose fractionation independent high data integrity Near tissue equivalent No over response due to low energy x-ray scatter Water resistant Compatible with water phantoms Very competitive in price No overhead expense/use of film Handle in room light easy work flow
GAFCHROMIC EBT dosimetry film Very stable and uniform Low post exposure density growth Over 95% develops upon exposure Excellent results using professional flat bed RGB film scanners Red channel gives the best contrast Will also work with Vidar 16 bit scanners With VXR-16: Need scanner correction software that will take care of inconsistencies in the scanner. (contact ISP for the software) For an upgrade to Vidar Dosimetry Pro Advantage contact your Vidar distributor. The upgraded features will eliminate artifacts from scattering effects. Easy drop in replacement for a processor-less environment without any major capital investment
Three Components in Radiochromic Film Dosimetry System GAFCHROMIC EBT film Develops in real time Can be handled in room light- easy workflow Energy and dose fractionation independence Can be cut into any shape and water resistance Epson film scanner 48 bit flatbed film scanner Economical RGB and Grayscale red channel gives the best contrast FilmQA validation software Economical Interactive, easy to learn and easy interface Very Fast Designed to work with all major TPS Modular based designs helps with easy customization ALL you need is one system for all RT QA
Professional flatbed color scanner works best for EBT 16bit/channel response Transmission mode Preferred scanner Epson 10000XL A3 size (best results when film is placed in the landscape orientation and in the center of the scanning bed) Red channel in the flatbed scanner gives the best contrast
Tips for Scanning EBT Film Scan using FilmQA Scan all films in the same orientation Place the film in the center of the scan window Set the borders of the scanned area just inside the edges of film Scan at a resolution of about 75dpi Always scan an unexposed film
FilmQA Highlights FAST!!! Analyze multiple films simultaneously 7 field IMRT case can be analyzed in under 5 min. FLEXIBLE Works with any film: EBT, EDR2, Work with any scanner: Flatbed, VIDAR, Works with any phantom. Can learns any fiducial mark pattern; registers multiple films with 1 click Optimized for use with GAFCHROMIC EBT film ACCURATE Calibrates for scanner field flatness and processor drift Quantitative evaluation : Dynamic profiles and isodose maps Gamma, DTA and dose difference Histograms Integrated Database Physics QA Customizable site specific WEB based reports Imports all major treatment plans Works with Vidar as well
Background Correction The scanner correction can be done in three ways: 1. Using a software patch developed by ISP that will a) import images from a file b) make the correction c) export corrected images back to any file. 2. Can be done automatically by FilmQA software just with a click of a button 3. Manually using ISP protocol which can be tedious To get a high degree of accuracy, correction for spectral non linearity is very important
What s unique about FilmQA? Optimized for radiochromic film Very quick and user-friendly Logical sequence of operations Interactive and trainable Flexible, modular-based architecture Easily customizable Designed for all RT treatment planning systems Report is compiled in HTML format hence viewable via web. Bring all QA needs under one umbrella
RT QA SYSTEM COMPARISON Self-developing Modality Diode/Ion Chamber Reusable Phosphor Radiochromic Film Array Portal Imaging Plate Radiographic (silver) Film High (but falls very Spatial Resolution High Low High sharply over time) high Analysis Time Fast Fast Fast Slow Slow Development time Real time Real time Real time Real time Need time to process Simultaneous analysis of multiple fields Yes (under 5 minutes) NO NO NO Yes only with FilmQA Composite fields at varying gantry angles Yes NO NO NO Yes Wide dose range Yes Yes Yes Yes saturates beyond 500cGy Energy independent Yes NO NO NO NO Yes. No additional Additional purchase Additional purchase Additional purchase Yes. No additional Archive data purchase required required required required purchase required Compact system Yes Yes NO NO NO Multi Ext beam RT QA Yes NO NO NO Yes but very cumbersome Versatile Yes (works with other Yes (works with other software and scanner) NO NO NO software and scanner) Short training time Yes Yes NO NO NO Easy and flexible workflow Yes Yes NO NO NO Operational expenses Low Low High High Medium Capital Cost Very Low Medium Very High High Medium
Conclusions GAFCHROMIC based system: Produces reliable results, reduces QA tests time, efforts and costs. Is the only system that can work with all external beam therapy modalities Minimal capital investments.