QUALITY ASSURANCE (QA)

Conventional Linear Accelerator or Tomotherapy

• Dosimetry
• Safety interlocks
• Mechanical checks
• Radiation Survey

Treatment planning system

HDR remote afterloader

General x-ray (partial list of tests)

• Beam alignment and collimation
• Tube potential (kVp) accuracy and reproducibility
• Beam filtration verification
• High-contrast spatial resolution
• Low-contrast sensitivity performance
• Radiation exposure rates for typical exams and maximum output
• Patient dose display verification
• Automatic exposure rate control
• Scattered radiation to operators
• Measurement of x-ray tube leakage
• Radiation Survey

Computed Tomography (partial list of tests)

• Alignment accuracy
• Table increment accuracy
• Image thickness accuracy
• CT number accuracy
• High-contrast spatial resolution
• Low-contrast performance
• Image uniformity
• Image noise
• Artifact evaluation
• Radiation dosimetry (CTDIvol) for common exams

Mammography machine (partial list of tests)

• Unit assembly evaluation
• Beam alignment and collimation
• High-contrast spatial resolution
• Tube potential (kVp) accuracy and reproducibility
• Beam quality (HVL) verification
• Radiation exposure reproducibility
• Breast entrance exposure and average glandular dose
• Automatic exposure control (AEC) performance
• Image quality evaluation
• Artifact evaluation

MRI Scanner (partial list of tests)

• Slice position and localization accuracy
• Geometric accuracy
• Image thickness accuracy
• Magnetic field homogeneity
• High-contrast spatial resolution
• Low-contrast detectability
• Image uniformity
• Artifact evaluation
• Performance evaluation on commonly used RF coils (SNR, uniformity, ghosting)
• Acquisition display gray level performance
• MRI safety program assessment

 Instrumentation review, calibration and quality assurance

• Dose Calibrators
• Well Counters and Uptake Probes
• Survey Meters
• Gamma Cameras – Planar, SPECT, SPECT-CT
• PET-CT/MR Systems