Measurement of percentage depth dose and lateral beam profile for kilovoltage x-ray therapy beams.

In this work, nine commonly used dosimetry detectors have been investigated to determine suitable relative dosimeters for kilovoltage x-ray beams. By comparison with the Monte Carlo calculated data, it was determined that for the detectors studied the PTW N23342, Markus and NACP parallel-plate chambers are more suitable for the measurement of percentage depth dose (PDD) data for this beam quality range with an uncertainty of about 3%. A diode detector may be used to measure the PDD for the 100 kVp beam, but it is not suitable for higher energies (300 kVp). The Capintec parallel-plate chamber may be adequate for medium-energy photons, but it has a slightly higher uncertainty for low-energy x-rays (100 kVp). For the measurement of beam profiles, diode and film yield incorrect profile tails, which can be corrected using the RK ionization chamber.