Program Information
Initial Assessment of Image Quality of An Integrated MR-Linac System with ACR Phantom
J Wang1*, J Yung2 , M Kadbi3 , Y Ding4 , C Fuller5 , G Ibbott6 , (1) MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, (2) UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, (3) ,,,(4) UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, (5) MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, (6) UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Presentations
SU-F-J-143 (Sunday, July 31, 2016) 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM Room: Exhibit Hall
Purpose/Objective(s): To assess the image quality of an integrated MR-Linac system and compare with other MRI systems that are primarily used for diagnostic purposes.
Materials/Methods: An ACR MRI quality control (QC) phantom was used to evaluate the image quality of a fully integrated 1.5T MRI-Linac system recently installed at our institution. This system has a new split magnet design which gives the magnetic field strength of 1.5T. All images were acquired with a set of phased-array surface coils which are designed to have minimal attention of radiation beam. The anterior coil rests on a coil holder which keeps the anterior coil's position consistent for QA purposes. The posterior coil is imbedded in the patient couch. Multiple sets of T1, T2/PD images were acquired using the protocols as prescribed by the ACR on three different dates, ranging 3 months apart.
Results: The geometric distortion are within 0.5 mm in the axial scans and within 1mm in the saggital (z-direction) scans. Slice thickness accuracy, image uniformity, ghosting ratio, high contrast detectability are comparable to other 1.5T diagnostic MRI scanners. The low-contrast object detectability are lower comparatively, which is a result of using the body array coil. Additionally, the beam’s-eye-view images (oblique coronal and saggital images) have minimal geometric distortion at all linac gantry angles tested. No observable changes or drift in image quality is found from images acquired 3 month apart.
Conclusion: Despite the use of a body array surface coil, the image quality is comparable to that of an 1.5T MRI scanner and is of sufficient quality to pass the ACR MRI accreditation program. The geometric distortion of the MRI system of the integrated MR-Linac is within 1mm for an object size similar to the ACR phantom, sufficient for radiation therapy treatment purpose.
Funding Support, Disclosures, and Conflict of Interest: The authors received corporate sponsored research grants from Elekta which is the vendor for the MR-Linac evaluated in this study.
Contact Email: