Commissioning and implementation of the ELEKTA i-view electronic portal imaging system

Full text: The ELEKTA i-VIEW electronic portal imaging system was installed at the ARMC in two phases. The first phase consisted of the installation of two electronic portal imaging devices and workstations on to two ELEKTA SL15 linear accelerators. The second phase consisted of the installation of a remote viewing workstation, film scanner and the formation of a network of workstations. The commissioning of the electronic portal imaging devices and the clinical implementation of the system were investigated. The acceptance tests recommended by the manufacturer were performed and further independent tests were also completed. These tests examined the mechanical integrity of the electronic portal imaging device. The investigation of image processing and image quality was performed using a third party software package. The images obtained from the electronic portal imaging device and the film scanner were evaluated for a number of different imaging parameters. For full image processing capabilities an additional software package was used. While the acceptance tests showed the i-View to perform within mechanical tolerance, the field centre as defined by ELEKTA was affected by the sag of the detector arm. The radiation field centre as a result of the sag was evaluated and the maximum shift was shown to be 6mm at a gantry angle of 90 degrees. The image processing capabilities of the i-VIEW are limited to Contrast, Brightness and Scale adjustments. The film scanner capabilities are satisfactory. The i-VIEW portal imaging system can be implemented clinically in a straight forward and easy to manage manner. The ability to network multiple systems allows for excellent portability of patient information and images between workstations. The commissioning process should not be limited to the acceptance tests of the manufacturer and a thorough investigation of image quality and processing tools should be undertaken. A regular QA program covering mechanical and image quality factors should also be implemented. The use of image processing and registration software is highly recommended. Copyright (2000) Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine