Integrated systems: Tomotherapy

Quality assurance (QA) protocols for conventional linear accelerators, encompassing both mechanical and dosimetric tests, have been widely studied and reported in the literature (Almond et al. 1999; Kutcher et al. 1994). The introduction of helical tomotherapy (HT) as a novel approach for the delivery of imageguided, intensity-modulated radiation therapy has instigated the development of new QA protocols, which test not only the unique radiation delivery geometry and properties of HT but also the integrated, volumetric megavoltage CT onboard imaging.