ABSTRACT
The adoption of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) has resulted in a continuing clinical need for improved tools for commissioning, pretreatment measurements, and in vivo quality assurance (QA) methods. Multidimensional systems have truly revolutionized dosimetry for applications such as IMRT pretreatment QA measurements. There are many available options for two dimensional (2D) and semi-three dimensional (3D) arrays for external beam dosimetry. The best characteristics of a scintillator for dosimetry include a high transparency to the emitted light, a high scintillation efficiency, high linearity along with a density, and atomic composition similar to water. Several software tools have been developed to aid in interpreting the differences between measurements and calculations, especially based on an individual patient's anatomy. Novel dosimetry systems include the measurement of Cherenkov radiation, whether in a phantom or a patient, and plastic scintillators that can be set up in arrays more similar to other detector systems.
