The direct measurement using an imaging plate for coincidence of radiation centre and laser position in external radiation therapy

A new method of quality assurance has been studied to measure coincidence of the radiation centre and a patient-setup laser position on a transverse plane to the beam at the isocentre. This measurement is achieved by using an imaging plate (IP). When radiation is applied to an IP, the energy is stored as trapped electrons. The number of electrons is decreased by local laser exposure. As a result, the radiation field produced by external beam irradiation is recorded as 'positive' information and the position of the patient-setup laser is recorded as 'negative' on an IP. The advantages of this method are the direct measurement, short time and high resolution. These are required for daily and monthly quality checks. We confirmed the advantage of this method by an experiment using a proton beam.