Project implementation plan: Quality assurance for gamma knives: FIN L-1938-1. Revision 3.3

Technical Report · Sun Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:10136575

The gamma knife is a treatment machine used for stereotactic brain irradiation. It is manufactured and marketed by Elekta Instruments. The treatment goal is to deliver a high dose of radiation to a small, discrete volume with minimal radiation to adjacent normal brain tissue. The radiation unit contains 201 cobalt-60 sealed sources distributed in a hemisphere located within the central body of the unit. The beams from each individual source are collimated and converge at a focal point at the center of the radiation unit. The patient`s head is positioned in a collimator helmet such that the target volume in the brain corresponds to the beam focal point. At the time of initial loading the total cobalt 60 activity is approximately 5400-6600 curies. Current Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Regulations address quality control procedures for conventional cobalt-60 teletherapy devices, but do not address comparable procedures for gamma knives. Also reports received by the NRC indicate that there are some cases of teletherapy misadministrations that have resulted from equipment malfunction and from errors in treatment planning and physical measurements. The NRC believes that comparable events may occur with gamma knives. The objectives of this project are: (1) to identify the device review or registration requirements; (2) to identify quality control/calibration procedures for acceptance testing, routine calibration, and spot checks; (3) to identify the equipment service requirements including identification of critical components; (4) to identify the current standards and guidelines that are required for recommended by government and non-government organizations for the review of the associated computerized treatment planning system; and (5) to perform analysis to determine the risk implications of the use of these devices.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 10136575
• Report Number(s): UCRL-ID--110116; ON: DE92011591
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550603
560151
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
BRAIN
CALIBRATION
COBALT 60
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
EXTERNAL RADIATION IN THERAPY
IRRADIATION DEVICES
IRRADIATION PROCEDURES
MAN
QUALITY ASSURANCE
QUALITY CONTROL
RADIATION DOSES
RADIOTHERAPY
RISK ASSESSMENT
SAFETY
STANDARDS