Effect of CT artifact on calculation of radiotherapy dose

Objective To investigate the effect of simple artifacts on the calculation of radiation dose in actual clinical operations by the aid of artificially caused CT artifacts. Methods The phantom was scanned using CT before and after replacing the titanium alloy component. Then, the CT values were measured at different distances before and after replacement. After correcting the CT value of the titanium alloy region to the CT value of the water phantom, the doses to the phantom were calculated by using Varian′s AAA algorithm, AXB algorithm and Pinnacle system′s CCC algorithm. The absolute dose values at different distances were furtherly analyzed. Results Varian system was consistent with Pinnacle system in evaluating the CT values. When the CT value deviated by less than 30 HU for a uniform phantom, the dose deviations of the three different algorithms were within 6.0 %-12.0 % at a distance of 0.5 cm from the body surface, and less than 1.0% at a distance of more than 1.5 cm from the body surface. When the CT value deviated by 15 HU for the lung phantom, both Varian′s AAA algorithm and Varian′s AXB algorithm showed about 1.0% dose deviation. However, the CCC algorithm of the Pinnacle system had a significant difference (5.0%) in dose values under the same conditions. Conclusions CT artifacts have noticeable effects on the calculation of radiation dose and change tissue dose distribution which may result in insufficient or excessive exposure doses. Key words: CT artifact; Titanium alloy; Dose; Algorithm; Treatment planning system