New method to test the gantry, collimator and table rotation angles of a linear accelerator used in radiation therapy

International audienceThe precision of a medical LINear ACcelerator (LINAC) gantry rotation angle is crucial for the radiation therapy process, especially in stereotactic radio surgery, given the expected precision of the treatment and in Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) where the mechanical stability is disturbed due to the additional weight of the kV x-ray tube and detector. We present in this paper an extension of the Winston and Lutz test initially dedicated to control the size and the position of the isocenter of the LINAC and here adapted to test the gantry rotation angle with no additional portal images. This new method uses a test-object patented by QualiFormeD5 and is integrated in the QUALIMAGIQ software platform developed to automatically analyze images acquired for quality control of medical devices