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Two new methods for measuring x-ray coherent scattering form factors using an image plate were developed based on a matrix representation of the problem. The methods were tested experimentally using tube potentials of 50, 70 and 92 kV and different filtrations. Water and fat samples were measured and compared to data in the literature. For water, average absolute relative differences between 0.105 and 0.217 were measured when compared to the literature. Literature data for fat show a wide range of values. Our measured values were in the middle of the literature data range with average absolute relative differences between 0.126 and 0.528. The accuracy of the matrix methods was limited by the ill-conditioning of the problem and also experimentally by the limitations of our equipment. The matrix methods developed are shown to be relatively low resolution in momentum transfer parameter and limited to measurements on amorphous materials such as tissues where the attenuation of the x-ray beam is small. These methods, however, can be used to measure form factors with relatively inexpensive, clinical equipment.

To develop a frame-by-frame correction for the energy response of amorphous silicon electronic portal imaging devices (a-Si EPIDs) to radiation that has transmitted through the multileaf collimator (MLC) and to integrate this correction into the backscatter shielded EPID (BSS-EPID) dose-to-water conversion model.Individual EPID frames were acquired using a Varian frame grabber and iTools acquisition software then processed using in-house software developed inMATLAB. For each EPID image frame, the region below the MLC leaves was identified and all pixels in this region were multiplied by a factor of 1.3 to correct for the under-response of the imager to MLC transmitted radiation. The corrected frames were then summed to form a corrected integrated EPID image. This correction was implemented as an initial step in the BSS-EPID dose-to-water conversion model which was then used to compute dose planes in a water phantom for 35 IMRT fields. The calculated dose planes, with and without the proposed MLC transmission correction, were compared to measurements in solid water using a two-dimensional diode array.It was observed that the integration of the MLC transmission correction into the BSS-EPID dose model improved agreement between modeled and measured dose planes. In particular, the MLC correction produced higher pass rates for almost all Head and Neck fields tested, yielding an average pass rate of 99.8% for 2%/2 mm criteria. A two-sample independent t-test and fisher F-test were used to show that the MLC transmission correction resulted in a statistically significant reduction in the mean and the standard deviation of the gamma values, respectively, to give a more accurate and consistent dose-to-water conversion.The frame-by-frame MLC transmission response correction was shown to improve the accuracy and reduce the variability of the BSS-EPID dose-to-water conversion model. The correction may be applied as a preprocessing step in any pretreatment portal dosimetry calculation and has been shown to be beneficial for highly modulated IMRT fields.

To investigate the properties of a modified backscatter shielded electronic portal imaging device (BSS-EPID) and to develop a dose model to convert BSS-EPID images to dose in water as part of an improved system for dosimetry using EPIDs.The effectiveness of the shielding of the BSS-EPID was studied by comparing images measured with the BSS-EPID mounted on the support arm to images measured with the BSS-EPID removed from the support arm. A dose model was developed and optimized to reconstruct dose in water at different depths from measured BSS-EPID images. The accuracy of the dose model was studied using BSS-EPID images of 28 IMRT fields to reconstruct dose in water at depths of 2, 5, 10, and 20 cm and comparing to measured dose in water from a two-dimensional diode array at the same depths. The ability of the BSS-EPID system to operate independently of detector position was demonstrated by comparing the dose reconstruction of a 10 × 10 cm(2) field using different detector offsets to that measured by a two-dimensional diode array.The shielding of the BSS-EPID was found to be effective, with more than 99% of pixels showing less than 0.5% change due to the presence of the support arm and at most a 0.2% effect on the central axis for 2 × 2 cm(2) fields to fully open 30 × 40 cm(2) images. The dose model was shown to accurately reconstruct measurements of dose in water using BSS-EPID images with average γ pass rates (2%, 2 mm criteria) of 92.5%, 98.7%, 97.4%, and 97.2% at depths of 2, 5, 10, and 20 cm, respectively, when compared to two-dimensional diode array measurements. When using 3%, 3 mm γ criteria, the average pass rate was greater than 97% at all depths. Reconstructed dose in water for a 10 × 10 cm(2) field measured with detector offsets as large as 10 cm agreed with each other and two-dimensional diode array measurements within 0.9%.The modified BSS-EPID and associated dose model provide an improved system for dosimetry measurements using EPIDs. Several important limitations of the current hardware and software are addressed by this system.

A key requirement for the development of the field of medical x-ray scatter imaging is accurate characterization of the differential scattering cross sections of tissues and phantom materials. The coherent x-ray scattering form factors of five tissues (fat, muscle, liver, kidney, and bone) obtained from butcher shops, four plastics (polyethylene, polystyrene, lexan (polycarbonate), nylon), and water have been measured using an energy-dispersive technique. The energy-dispersive technique has several improvements over traditional diffractometer measurements. Most notably, the form factor is measured on an absolute scale with no need for scaling factors. Form factors are reported in terms of the quantity x = λ(-1)sin (θ/2) over the range 0.363-9.25 nm(-1). The coherent form factors of muscle, liver, and kidney resemble those of water, while fat has a narrower peak at lower x, and bone is more structured. The linear attenuation coefficients of the ten materials have also been measured over the range 30-110 keV and parameterized using the dual-material approach with the basis functions being the linear attenuation coefficients of polymethylmethacrylate and aluminum.

The material-dependent x-ray scattering properties of amorphous substances such as tissues and phantom materials used in imaging are determined by their scattering form factors, measured as a function of the momentum transfer argument, x. Incoherent scattering form factors, F(inc), are calculable for all values of x while coherent scattering form factors, F(coh), cannot be calculated except at large x because of their dependence on long-range order. As a result, measuring F(coh) is very important to the developing field of x-ray scatter imaging. Previous measurements of F(coh), based on crystallographic techniques, have shown significant variability, as these techniques are not optimal for amorphous materials. We have developed an energy-dispersive technique that uses a polychromatic x-ray beam and an energy-sensitive detector. We show that F(coh) can be measured directly, with no scaling parameters, by computing the ratio of two spectra: the first, measured at a given scattering angle and the second, the direct transmission spectrum with no scattering. Experiments have been constructed on this principle and used to measure F(coh) for water and polyethylene to explore the reliability of the technique. A 121 kVp x-ray spectrum and seven different scattering angles between 1.67 and 15.09 degrees were used, resulting in a measurable range of x between 0.5 and 9.5 nm(-1). These are the first measurements of F(coh) made without the need for a scaling factor. Resolution in x varies between 10% for small scattering angles and 2% for large scattering angles. Accuracy in F(coh) is shown to be strongly dependent on the precision of the experimental geometry and varies between 5% and 15%. Comparison with previous published measurements for water shows values of the average absolute relative difference between 8% and 14%.