Design an Adaptive Quality Control Phantom to Optimize QC Test Methods

Abstract

The main objective of this research is to introduce a newly developed device called as "Adaptive Quality Control Phantom" (AQCP) that designed to perform the QC tests. AQCP is a computer-controlled phantom which positions and moves a radioactive source in the FOV of an imaging nuclear medicine device on a definite path to produce any spatial distribution of gamma rays to simulate QC phantoms. To establish and prove the proper functionality as well as the accurate performance of AQCP, different tests including systematic uniformity, collimator hole angulation and the center of rotation tests have been conducted by this device and then the results, findings and differences of such testing when comparing to what achieved by the QC classic method tests have been discussed and analyzed in detail in this paper. According to the different tests done by AQCP, the authors found that the performance of systematic uniformity test shows a considerable reduction in the technologist dose compared to the IAEA-TECDOC-602 method. The collimator hole angulation for LEHR, LEUHR and LEHS collimators were measured by using a point source and the computer-controlled cylindrical positioning and the results achieved indicate that the measurement accuracy for absolute angulation errors was better than 0.018 degrees. A method for center of rotation assessment by AQCP was introduced, the results of such proposed method compared to the routine QC test and their differences have been discussed in detail. Based on all discussed in this paper regarding AQCP, the authors suggest that their presented device would be able to simulate QC phantoms.