A Study on Portal Image for the Automatic Verification of Radiation Therapy

In this paper, near real time digital radiography system was implemented for the automatic verification of local errors between simulation plan and radiation therapy. Portal image could be acquired through video camera, image board and PC after therapy radiation was converted into light by a metal/fluorescent screen. Considering the divergence according to the distance between the source and the plate, we made a 340 × 340 × 12 cm3 basis point plate on which five rods of 4 cm height and 8mm diameter lead (Pb) were built to display reference points on the simulator and the portal image. We converted the portal image into the binary image using the optimal threshold value which was gotten through the histogram analysis of the acquired portal image using the basis point plate. we got the location information of the iso-center and basis points from the binary image, and removed the systematic errors which were from the differences between the simulation plan and the portal image. Field size which was measured automatically by optimal threshold portal image, was verified with simulation plan. Anatomic errors were automatically detected and verified with the normalized simulation and the portal image by pattern matching method after irradiating a part of the radiation. Therapy efficiency was improved and radiation side effects were reduced by these techniques, so exact radiation treatment are expected. key words: portal image, digital radiography, local error, automatic verification, pattern matching method, basis point plate