Abstract
Objectives: To adapt and validate an anthropomorphic head phantom for use in a cranial radiosurgery audit. Methods: Two bespoke inserts were produced for the phantom: one for providing the target and organ at risk for delineation, and one for performing dose measurements. The inserts were tested to assess their positional accuracy. A basic treatment plan dose verification with an ionisation chamber was performed to establish a baseline accuracy for the phantom and beam model. The phantom and inserts were then used to perform dose verification measurements of a radiosurgery plan. The dose was measured with alanine pellets, EBT-XD film and a plastic scintillation detector (PSD). Results: Both inserts showed reproducible positioning (±0.5 mm) and good positional agreement between them (±0.6 mm). The basic treatment plan measurements showed agreement to the Treatment Planning System (TPS) within 0.5%. Repeated film measurements showed consistent gamma passing rates with good agreement to the TPS. For 2%-2mm global gamma, the mean passing rate was 96.7% and the variation in passing rates did not exceed 2.1%. The alanine pellets and PSD showed good agreement with the TPS (-0.1 and 0.3% dose difference in the target) and good agreement with each other (within 1%). Conclusions: The adaptations to the phantom showed acceptable accuracies. The presence of alanine and PSD do not affect film measurements significantly, enabling simultaneous measurements by all three detectors. Advancements in knowledge: A novel method for thorough end-to-end test of radiosurgery, with capability to incorporate all steps of the clinical pathway in a time-efficient and reproducible manner, suitable for a national audit.