Information about the first Elekta Precise accelerator installed in Poland

Abstract

Background

The first medical linear accelerator manufactured by Elekta Limited was installed and put into clinical operation in Poland in 2004.

Aim

The aim of this article is to show the performance of the accelerator installed in the Białystok Centre of Oncology and configured in the version Elekta Precise^®.

Materials/Methods

The study presents the most important features of the system as well as the results of dosimetric measurements for photon beams of nominal energies 6 and 15 MV and electron beams of energies 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 and 22 MeV, as set for this machine. The results of some acceptance tests and clinical performance checks are presented and discussed.

Results/Discussion

First experience with accelerator at work gathered within a period of one year has shown very good stability of basic parameters of the machine. Most performance parameters were exceptionally good: reproducibility: <0.1%, proportionality: <0.5%, stability throughout the day: for photons (<0.2%), for electrons (<0.5%), angular dependence: maximum difference was 0.6% for photons and 0.8% for electrons with very good uniformity of electron beams (<105%).

Conclusions

Dosimetric measurements demonstrated the agreement of checked parameters with the manufacturer's specification and IEC standards as well as national recommendations. Medical accelerator Elekta Precise Treatment System (TM) demonstrated its full usefulness for clinical applications. The machine parameters and functionality meet the requirements of the modern radiotherapy facility.