SARRP

Calibration Manual

XSTRAHL
678-765-8970 | 480 BROGDON RD. SUWANEE, GA 30024
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Contents
Tools needed for calibration ...................................................................................................................... 3
Assessing SARRP .................................................................................................................................... 3
Focal Spot Alignment ............................................................................................................................... 3
Focal Spot Procedure Option 2 ............................................................................................................. 5
Install the Focal Spot Tools ................................................................................................................ 6
Image and Adjust Focal Spot ............................................................................................................. 8
Detector Centering ............................................................................................................................... 14
MP1 Setup ........................................................................................................................................... 18
String Pot Setup ................................................................................................................................... 18
Detector Calibration ............................................................................................................................. 19
Geometry Calibration using MuriSlice ................................................................................................. 22
Overview ........................................................................................................................................... 22
1. Probe Acquisition in SARRP Control Software ........................................................................ 24
2. Camera Definition ..................................................................................................................... 25
3. Geometry Calibration................................................................................................................ 27
Reconstruction Protocol Setup ............................................................................................................ 34
1. Hardware Definition .................................................................................................................. 35
2. Input .......................................................................................................................................... 36
3. Output ....................................................................................................................................... 38
4. Finalize Protocol File ................................................................................................................ 41
5. Verify Protocol .......................................................................................................................... 42
6. Create a Cropped Mouse Protocol ........................................................................................... 42
7. Create a FastScan Protocol ..................................................................................................... 47
Robot to CT Transformation (Rob2CT) ............................................................................................... 48
Overview ........................................................................................................................................... 48
Rotation Part of Transformation Matrix: ........................................................................................... 53
Translation Part of Transformation Matrix........................................................................................ 57
Treatment Beam (Gantry) Calibration.................................................................................................. 61
Overview ........................................................................................................................................... 61
1. Camera Setup........................................................................................................................... 62
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2. Calibration Setup ...................................................................................................................... 63

3. Beam Calibration Steps ............................................................................................................... 65
Using ImageJ with SARRP Files ......................................................................................................... 69
Sandwich Test...................................................................................................................................... 80
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SARRP CALIBRATION MANUAL

Tools needed for calibration

 Solid Water
 Film
 BB
 Tape
 Scissors
 .5mm drill bit
 Hex set (imperial and metric)
 13mm socket ratchet wrench

Assessing SARRP

Before any testing, aligning, or calibrations can begin, you must first access the
SARRP unit. This includes but is not limited to:

 Checking connections.
 Ensuring the collimator fits snug into the brass block with some resistance.
 Making sure the motors for all axis move freely.
 Checking the detector plate stop assembly is in a fixed position.

Focal Spot Alignment

Focal Spot Alignment is the first step you must complete before proceeding with
the calibration process. This ensures that the collimator is aligned to the (hotspot) of the
tube this is the part of the x-ray tube window where the beam is most concentrated. The
goal of this process is to get the highest emission portion of the broad focal spot aligned
with the central axis of the collimator support (and thereby the collimator apertures). A
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good alignment ensures the maximum output from the collimators, and is more critical
as the aperture size decreases toward the minimum .5mm collimator.

The collimator support base is designed for positional repeatability when slid into the
receiver block attached to the x-ray tube. Focal spot alignment is achieved by adjusting
the position of the receiver block on the tube-head flange. The degree of alignment is
indicated by the nature of an image projected using the focal spot alignment tools.

This procedure can be done one of two ways. There are two detectors that can be used
for the focal alignment procedure. The first being using the portal camera. To use the
portal camera, you must first take off the collimator and pull the portal camera to the
down position as shown in Fig. 1.1 and continue to the Install the Focal Spot Tools
portion of this manual.

Pinhole nozzle

FIG. 1.1

Example of Portal Camera in down position

for focal spot alignment procedure.

Portal Camera
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Focal Spot Procedure Option 2

Override Warm-up Shield for SARRP3

Sensor

Fig. 2-1a
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Fig. 2-1 shows how to override the warm up shield sensor. Normally the large focal
spot cannot be used without the warm up shield in place. Put a coin or other small
metal object over the sensor to allow imaging with the flat panel while using the large
focal spot.

Install the Focal Spot Tools

Fig. 2-2

Fig. 2-2 shows the pinhole installed in the input end of the collimator support. When
properly placed, the disk shaped part will be flush with the collimator holder base. Use
a piece of thin adhesive tape to hold the pinhole in place. The pinhole acts as a camera
lens to project an image of the actual focal spot.

Figure 2-3 shows the target installed where the collimators normally fit. It is secured in
the same manner as the collimators by tightening the holding screw. A tiny piece of
metal rod acts as a centering target.
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Fig 2-3

Fig 2-4

Fig. 2-4 shows the collimator support and focal spot tools assembled and positioned in
the receiver block.
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Image and Adjust Focal Spot

Fig. 2-5

Set the x-ray controller to the broad focal spot, 220 kV, and 4-5mA. The focal spot
image should show features throughout, and not have large areas of saturation (pure
white). See Figs. 1-7 through 1-10 for approximate appearance. The gantry angle
should be set 90 degrees (gantry horizontal – aimed toward digital detector).

Turn on x-rays and capture an image using the “Capture Image” button on the “Flat
Panel” tab as indicated in Fig. 2-5. Turn off the x-rays. The image will appear in the
lower right quadrant of the SARRP GUI. Click on the “Save Image” tab and save to
save as a “.his” file.

Fig 2-6 shows the adjustments available on the receiver block. To move the receiver
block in an X-Y fashion parallel to the tube head flange first loosen the two hold down
screws. The clearance holes for these screws are oversize to allow the receiver block
to slide around when loosened. The vertical adjustment screws work in opposition: To
move the block up the top screw is tightened, and the bottom screw must be loosened
by the same amount. The reverse is true to move downward. The two horizontal
screws should be loosened or tightened by the same amount to allow right / left
movement. Sufficient force to seat the block against the adjustment screws should be
applied until the hold down screws are once again tightened.
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VERTICAL

ADJUSTMENT

SCREWS

(ONE OPPOSITE)

HORIZONTAL

ADJUSTMENT

SCREWS

(2)
HOLD DOWN

SCREWS

(2)

Fig. 2-6
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MOVE THE BLOCK DOWN

Fig. 2-7

MOVE THE BLOCK UP

Fig. 2-8
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MOVE THE BLOCK IN

Fig. 2-9

MOVE THE BLOCK OUT

Fig. 2-10
HOTTEST PART OF BROAD SPOT
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Figures 2-7 through 2-10 indicate which direction to adjust the receiver block depending on the last
image captured. The goal is to position the dark target dot well centered in the hot zone of the broad
focal spot. The process proceeds by capturing an image, deciding which way to move the block,
make adjustments, and capture another image. Fig. 2-11 shows a 3d profile plot made with ImageJ
(available from the SARRP GUI). Such a plot can aid in visualizing the current state of alignment.
You may need to adjust the mA up or down slightly. Too much mA will saturate the entire area and
make it difficult to see the peak of the hill.

Fig. 2-11
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Fig 2-12

Fig 2-12 shows how to draw a ROI on an imported .his file in ImageJ, and then request a surface
plot.
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Fig. 2-13

Once satisfied with the alignment for the large spot, switch over to the small focal spot. Adjust the
mA so that a captured image of the small spot appears approximately as shown by the white oval in
Fig. 2-13. Save this image as a .his file. Combine the final large spot image and the small spot
image using image addition in ImageJ. Save the result as BROAD FINE COMBINED.jpg in the
C:\Xstrahl Service Data folder. This folder must be created manually (not created during SARRP
install).

Detector Centering

These adjustments are normally factory set, and not likely to require field re-adjustment. The
procedures below can be used to verify to verify centering if desired.

Set up the gantry and collimator support as shown in Fig. 4-1. The figure shows a specimen in the
beam path. For this activity keep the beam path free of objects.
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Fig. 4-1

Put the 5x5 square collimator in the support as shown in Fig. 4-2

Fig. 4-2

Using the fine focal spot capture an image of the square output beam on the flat panel detector.
This is done the same way as in the previous section on focal spot alignment. Save the image as a
“.his” file. Open the file with ImageJ and find the pixel coordinates for the center of the illuminated
square by using the cursor as shown in Fig. 4-3.
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Fig. 4-3

The cursor coordinates are displayed in the ImageJ notification area. The detector center is at pixel
(512, 512). Ideally the 5x5 square will also be centered on (512, 512). It is sufficient to center the
detector on the square within 10-12 pixels. To change the detector centering you must physically
move the detector vertically and /or horizontally. The detector is mounted on two independent plates
to facilitate these adjustments. Loosen the screws over the horizontal slots to allow side to side
movement, and similarly loosen the vertical holding screw to allow up and down adjustment. There
are jackscrews for the vertical adjustment located underneath the detector. See Fig. 4-4.
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SARRP3:
HORIZONTAL LOCKING VERTICAL LOCKING
SCREWS SCREWS

SARRP 1&2:

VERTICAL LOCKING
SCREWS

HORIZONTAL LOCKING
SCREWS

Fig. 4-4
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MP1 Setup

To enable remote control of the MP1 via software, the 929 flag must be turned ON. To turn this flag
on:

a. Set Engineering mode ON: Set, 888, Enter, Clear, 1, Enter.

b. Set Flag 929 ON: Set, 929, Enter, Clear, 1, Enter.
c. Set Engineering mode OFF: Set, 888, Enter, Clear, 0, Enter.

The MP1 will only operate remotely via the SARRP Software if it is in Mode 802.

String Pot Setup

Open robot_cfg.txt located in C:\Program Files\sarrp\data

The default parameters for the gantry and rotary string pot are defined in the following lines:

# zero, min, max

gantry_string 5, 2.5, 9.2
rotary_string 4, 2.0, 8.0

These values represent the string pot voltage outputs when the gantry and rotary stages are at their
zero (degree), min and max positions.

These values should be verified using GalilTools and changed in robot_cfg.txt if necessary.
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Detector Calibration

Flat panel calibration captures the necessary information for Offset and Gain image corrections.
When properly applied the corrections ensure the highest quality images from the flat panel detector.
This process is very simple via the automated process provided in the SARRP GUI.

Set the MP1 to Mode 802 with the key in HT.

Set the X-Ray parameters to 60kV and 0.8mA. Use the 1mm Aluminum filter.

Select “Detector” from the top file menu then select “Detector Calibration”. The process starts as
shown in Fig. 5-1 below.

Fig. 5-1

If the gantry is not already at 90 degrees, it will move there first.

The Offset image (dark field) is acquired first. X-rays should be OFF. Click OK as shown in Fig. 5-2.

Fig. 5-2

The Gain image (flood field) is acquired next. If operating in Mode 802, this process is automated.
Click OK to continue.
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Fig. 5-3

Upon completion, ensure X-Rays turned off automatically, then click OK to finish.

Fig. 5-4

Optional:

Check the quality of the image calibration. Use the “Capture Image” button on the Flat Panel tab in
the SARRP GUI to capture an image. Make sure the image is captured using the same technique
as for Detector Calibration. Save the .his file by using the “Save Image” button. Open (import) the
.his file with ImageJ. The image histogram should be narrow. Window and level the image to
appear similar to Fig. 5-5. Make sure the image is uniform and free from structured artifacts.
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Fig. 5-5
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Geometry Calibration using MuriSlice

Overview
DigiR3D is the tomography reconstruction module of the MuriSlice software suite. It
produces the cartography of attenuation of an object based on a stack of X-rays projections
acquired from several angles of view.

A calibration probe is provided to determine required parameters to achieve a good tomographic

reconstruction (rotation center, focal length, etc.) based on the capture of some radiographic
acquisitions from a calibration test pattern.

A tomography scan including calibration step has to take place as follows:

1. X-ray acquisition of an object is carried out using

the SARRP Software. The scan consists in the
acquisition of a predefined number of images under
different angles of view.

2. A test pattern, of size compatible with the

previously scanned object, has to be acquired with
the same system set up. A fast recording is carried
out with a complete rotation, and a reduced number of
images (a minimum of 60 projections, and always a
multiple of 4).

3. The calibration plug-in estimates the geometry of

the system based on the processing of previously
acquired calibration dataset. At the end of the
process, the user exports calibration results in a *.cal
file.

4. Then, the software is able to generate a 3D

reconstruction of the scanned objet, ready for
visualization and for further analysis.

Figure 3.5: Procedure Overview

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In order to achieve good results, it is important to apply the following rules:

 Geometric settings of the CT system must not be changed between calibration and
imaging (Stages 1 and 2) (i.e. the position of the tray, the source and the detector must be
maintained). Because of the mechanical tolerances of the robotics, the robotic arm never
returns to the requested position, even if the accuracy of the positioning sensor is close to
one micron.

 Additionally, if the object to be reconstructed is heavy, it is appropriate to put in a

tare of approximately the same weight to compensate for the effects of robotic buckling.
The buckling implies variations in the position of the rotation axis of several microns.

 Stages 1 and 2 can be executed in a different order. A whole series of objects can be
scanned with the same calibration, but it is nonetheless prudent, in this case, to do at least
calibrations, at the start and the end of the acquisition series so as to ensure that the
machine has not shifted or been accidentally adjusted.

 At least 5 spots must be chosen, 10 or more are best. They must be at least one diameter’s
distance away from the edge of the image, and remain so during the whole revolution.

 The calibration stick should be straight in respect to the detector panel. Rotating the
couch to 0 and 90 degrees should show the discrepancies in the tilt of the calibration stick
if there is any.
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1. Probe Acquisition in SARRP Control Software

Place the Calibration Probe on a flat mouse bed. Use the Flat Panel tab in the SARRP Control
Software to capture an image and align the probe such that it is all the way to the left of the panel.
The idea is to set up the probe so that as many bb’s as possible are visible throughout the entire
CBCT acquisition. It is likely that the Z axis will have to be brought as low as possible. Try to set the
probe up on the flat mouse bed such that minimal movement of X and Y are required. It is important
that the probe does not cut off at the right-most and left-most ends of the panel. Once set, tape the
base of the calibration probe down to the flat mouse bed to ensure there is no movement due to
vibration.

The raw images will be stored in C:\SARRP_Data\CT_Calibration under a date and time stamped
folder name. These images will be used in the next step for geometric calibration.
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IMPORTANT: Before proceeding, ensure that a folder named “SARRP_Data” exists on the C: drive.

If there is a problem recognizing the SARRP_Data path, open the sarrp.ini file located in
“C:\Program Files\sarrp\bin” and verify that this line exists:

DATApath C:\SARRP_Data

If it does not exist, add it directly above the CBCTpath line.

Launch SARRP Software. From the menu, click Cone Beam CT > CBCT Calibration.

This will initialize a CBCT acquisition process without performing a reconstruction. The default
number of acquisitions can be left as 360.

Once this is finished, the SARRP Software can be closed for now, since the subsequent steps will
be using MuriSlice.

2. Camera Definition

Open MuriSlice. The “3D Reconstruction Parameters” tools are accessible in the [Tools > 3D
Reconstruction Parameters] menu or the toolbar.

3D Reconstruction Parameters consists of 5 toolboxes (1: Hardware definition, 2: Input, 3:

Output, 4: Reconstruction, 5: Preview/Adjustment). These 5 steps are mandatory steps to
perform a good reconstruction. The following steps are organized to provide a clear vertical
workflow to the user.
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For Geometry Calibration of SARRP, the “Hardware Definition” toolbox will be completed. In
this first tab, the imaging sensor must be defined. If the camera does not exist, the field is set
to “Create camera”.

Figure 3.3: Camera definition tab

To manage a camera list, the [+] button allows a new sensor to be added, the [-] button to remove an
imaging sensor. Figure 3.4 depicts the camera creation window.

Name the camera as: Xstrahl

The current detector provided with SARRP is the Perkin Elmer XRD 0822. Previously the SARRPs
used the XRD 0820. The parameters for both of these panels should be set as follows:

Resolution: 1536 x 1920 pixels

Pixel Size: 127 x 127 microns

The third field (camera size) will be automatically filled in.

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Figure 3.4: Camera creation

When the definition is correct, click “Create” to return to the main interface.

3. Geometry Calibration

To reach the calibration interface, click on the tab “Geometry calibration” (See figure 3.6).

Figure 3.6: Calibration geometry tab

Steps for calibration:

A. Image loading (see figure 3.7):

Next to the Probe images text box, click the “load images” icon shown below.
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Images of the calibration probe acquired through the SARRP Software (through the Cone Beam CT
> CBCT Calibration menu) were saved in C:\SARRP_Data\CT_Calibration inside a date/time
stamped folder.

For PE XIS panel: Navigate to this folder and select the first image to load the entire dataset. All
images of a similar name (base name without image number) will automatically be selected. Click
OK to load.

For Varian panel: Navigate to this folder and select all 360 .raw images. When loading, set the
appropriate size, and do not check Multi Page. Click OK to load.

If setting up the PE XIS panel, click “Autocontrast” and “Flip horizontally”. Otherwise, leave as is.

Figure 3.7: Image loading for geometry calibration for XIS panel

B. Probe definition:

First, it is necessary to locate the spots on the calibration probe that will be used. A left click on the
image of a spot launches the automatic search of its center and its radius. A click on an already
selected spot, deselects it. And a double click deselects all the spots.

Note: The spots must be selected in order (preferable from the highest to the lowest on the screen)
and never in a disordered manner.

Note: The selected spots must be visible in all the images and must never be partially hidden or cut
off.
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Important: In order for the trajectory of the probe spots to be monitored correctly, it is necessary that
the initial speed (in the image plane) of the spots is low ( i.e. you start with the spots positioned
completely on the left or the right of the image). You can reach this position via the cursor below the
image. It is on this image that the initial position of the probe must be defined.

Figure 3.9: Spot selection

Finally, the probe can be validated by clicking the short cut “Set Probe”, and by returning the
distance between the center of the first and the last spot of the probe. The standard probe used for
SARRP is equipped with 2mm diameter beads spaced by 5mm.

Figure 3.8: Probe definition

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For example, if there are 19 probes selected, the distance to enter is 90.000 (18 x 5).

Click OK and there will be a summary pop-up. If done correctly, the radius of the bb will be
approximated to 0.8mm or 0.9mm degrees. The actual size of the bb is 1mm in radius.

The accuracy of probe size can be found in all distance measurements of reconstructed volumes: an
overestimation of 1% (160 microns in our example) in the probe results in an overestimation of 1%
on all size measurements of the reconstituted object.

C. Geometry Estimation:

Once the probe has been specified, click the Compute button.

This launches the calibration calculation. This calculation can fail (red marking on one or several
spots) for the following reasons:

 The initial speed of the spots is too high: the processing must be started on an image
where the spots are completely on the left or on the right of the field of view.
 The speed is not regular: an image must have jumped or been processed twice. The
calibration sensing procedure must be re- visited in such a way as to have regularly
spaced out images.
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 A spot collides with the edge, and the automatic search detects a sharp variation in spot
diameter. The parameters uMin, uMax, vMin or vMax must be used to trim the images,
or this spot should not be selected for the calculation.
 In a particular angle (or in a certain part of the sensor), the probe support is too contrasted
which prevents the spots from being properly detected. The contrast setting must be re-
visited.
 The most horizontal trajectories tend to introduce greater centering errors. The
(one or two) spot(s) nearest the center of the image should be deselected.
 A spot can shift in the probe during sensing. In this case, the trajectory will be badly
centered. It should not be selected in the probe.

When the calculation is successfully completed, calibration tool displays the spots trajectory (see
figure 3.11) and a results table is displayed (see figure 3.12).

Figure 3.11: Spots trajectory

The program cannot find a solution with less than 3 spots. In practice, at least five or six are
necessary to have error calculation results. Ten or more covering the whole of the area to be
reconstructed would be optimal.
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Figure 3.12: Calibration result example

Ensure that all errors displayed are very small (close to 0 mm/pixel/deg).

Move this window to the lower right quadrant of the screen and capture a screenshot of the
desktop. Save this image as CT_Calibration_Results.png” and store it in “C:\Xstrahl Service
Data”. See Figure 3.13: Screenshot example.
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Figure 3.13: Screenshot Example

Once completed, the “Geometry Definition” will be filled in automatically.

Save the calibration file (*.cal) in C:\SARRP_Data. This file will be used as a template to create
reconstruction protocols. A standard name for this file should be Geometry.cal.
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Reconstruction Protocol Setup

Using the geometry calibration data, a complete reconstruction protocol can be completed
through tabs 2-5 in 3D Reconstruction Parameters (in MuriSlice).

To begin, set up a block on a mouse bed and place a bb on the block.

Figure 4.2 Sample setup using a foam block as a mouse

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Figure 4.2 Close-up of the ‘mouse’ with a bb

Center the mouse (using the lasers if they have been aligned) and perform a CBCT at 60kV
and 0.8mA with the Aluminum filter (the same parameters used for detector calibration).
When prompted for a Reconstruction Protocol, use “Geometry” which was just created.

Once complete, MuriSlice will not show a reconstruction at first, this is OK. Open 3D
Reconstruction Parameters and follow the subsequent steps to define the remaining
parameters necessary for a complete reconstruction protocol.

1. Hardware Definition

The geometry calibration can be loaded into MuriSlice by clicking “Load” and selecting the
Geometry.cal file located in C:\SARRP_Data.

This will automatically fill the settings in the Hardware Definition tab.
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2. Input

The Input Toolbox aims to describe and to process projections used to achieve a correct
reconstruction.

The Input Files field indicates the directory where the projections are located, and can be selected
using Explorer by clicking the “...” button.

Navitage to the directory of the CBCT that was just performed. It will be in
C:\CBCT_Data\[Experiment]\[Scan]. Select the “projections.raw” file. The input parameters should
be adjusted as shown below.
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Figure 1. Parameters for loading for PE XIS panel

Figure 2. Parameters for loading for Varian panel

SARRP Rev 1 & 2 Only:

In the “Angles definition” tab, change the start angle from 0 to 180

Note: This is not necessary on SARRP Rev3, these systems should be left at 0 (default).
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3. Output

In the Output tab, set the output format as Image Stack.

To define the name and location to save the reconstruction file click the “...” button to open a file
browser and save the information.

Navigate to the C:/CBCT_Data/[Experiment]/[Scan] directory of the CBCT that was just performed.
In here, create a new folder ending with “.xst”, such as “Mouse_FullField.xst”. All reconstruction
folders for MuriSlice must end with “.xst”. Navigate into this newly created folder.

Set the File Name as “volume” and Save as type: DICOM image. Then click Save.

Click the “Autosize grid” button. If requested, select “Half Illumination reconstruction”.

In the Resolution area, click “Other” and set a custom resolution of 0.325 mm.
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Verify that the “Memory used” is less than 200MB. If it is higher, increase the custom resolution to
0.350 mm. The actual reconstruction file size on the hard drive will be half of the “Memory used”
estimate (the Treatment Planning System requires that the actual reconstruction size is
approximately 100MB).

Click on “Save as” at the bottom toolbar to save the new reconstruction protocol. Name this standard
protocol as Mouse_FullField.cal and save it in C:\SARRP_Data.

To finish, click “Save & Go”. Verify the input and output directories, then click “Proceed”. Click “OK”
to any warning messages regarding isocenter computation.
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Open “My Computer” and navigate to the .xst folder that was just created, right click on it and select
Properties. Verify that the size of the reconstruction folder is less than 100MB. If it is not, the
resolution (voxel size) may need to be adjusted.
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4. Finalize Protocol File

Copy the file HeadersList.xml from the SARRP Software Installation CD to C:\SARRP_Data if it
does not already exist.

Open the Mouse_FullField.cal file that was just created (from C:\SARRP_Data) using WordPad.

A. Add Tags

1. Locate the tag <extraHeaders/> and replace that line with the following:

<extraHeaders>HeadersList.xml</extraHeaders>

B. Extra tags for Varian Panels:

2. Locate the line <hCropRange>0 0</hCropRange> and replace with:

<hCropRange>15 15</hCropRange>

3. Locate the line <wCropRange>0 0</wCropRange> and replace with:

<wCropRange>15 15</wCropRange>

C. Remove Tags

Remove the <files> tag that defines the input projections. The following text, and everything in-
between, can be deleted:

<files> …</files>

Remove the output <name> tag.

NOTE: there are two “name” tags, the first one has “Xstrahl” in it, do not remove this one. Remove
the second one which specifies an output directory.

<name>…<name>

Save and close the Mouse_FullField.cal protocol file.

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5. Verify Protocol

Make a copy of Geometry.cal in C:\Xstrahl Service Data and remove the original from
C:\SARRP_Data.

Perform a CBCT of the same setup from the SARRP GUI and verify that the orientation of the
‘Mouse’ is correct (based on the placement of the bb). Use the newly created reconstruction protocol
“Mouse_FullField”.

6. Create a Cropped Mouse Protocol

Launch MuriSlice and open the 3D Reconstruction Parameters tool.

To fill the Hardware definition, load the Mouse_FullField.cal file from C:\SARRP_Data.

The Input Toolbox aims to describe and to process projections used to achieve a correct
reconstruction.

The Input Files field indicates the directory where the projections are located, and can be selected
using Explorer by clicking the “...” button.

Navitage to the directory of the CBCT that was just performed. It will be in
C:\CBCT_Data\[Experiment]\[Scan]. Select the “projections.raw” file. The input parameters should
be adjusted as shown below.

In the Output tab, set the output format as Image Stack.

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To define the name and location to save the reconstruction file click the “...” button to open a file
browser and save the information.

Navigate to the C:/CBCT_Data/[Experiment]/[Scan] directory of the CBCT that was just performed.
In here, create a new folder ending with “.xst”, such as “Mouse_FullField.xst”. All reconstruction
folders for MuriSlice must end with “.xst”. Navigate into this newly created folder.

In the output tab, after “Autosize grid” is clicked, click “Show Preview” at the bottom. If requested to
save, save the new protocol file as Mouse_Cropped.cal in C:\SARRP_Data.

Select “Define ROI for reconstruction”.

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Use the yellow lines to crop approximately 1/4 to 1/5 of the panel from above and below the mouse
in the Transverse view. It is not necessary to adjust the Coronal and Sagittal views.

If it is difficult to see the scan, click the “XStrahl” tool and adjust the Black/White levels.

In the Resolution area, click “Other” and set a custom resolution of 0.275mm.
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Verify that the “Memory used” is less than 200MB. If it is not, adjust the ROI for reconstruction. The
actual reconstruction file size on the hard drive will be half of this (less than 100MB), which is a
requirement for the Treatment Planning System.

This time, when “Save as” at the bottom toolbar is clicked, name this standard protocol as
Mouse_Cropped.cal and save it in C:\SARRP_Data.

Click “Save & Go”. Click “OK” to any warning messages regarding isocenter computation. The
orientation with respect to the cartoon mouse may not necessarily be correct here. It will be correct if
the reconstruction is performed following an acquisition initiated by SARRP Software. Close
MuriSlice after the reconstruction is complete.

Set the File Name as “volume” and Save as type: DICOM image. Then click Save.

Copy the file HeadersList.xml from the SARRP Software Installation CD to C:\SARRP_Data if it
does not already exist.

Open the Mouse_Cropped.cal file that was just created (from C:\SARRP_Data) using WordPad.

D. Add Tags

4. Locate the tag <extraHeaders/> and replace that line with the following:

<extraHeaders>HeadersList.xml</extraHeaders>

5. Locate the line <hCropRange>0 0</hCropRange> and replace with:

<hCropRange>10 10</hCropRange>

6. Locate the line <wCropRange>0 0</wCropRange> and replace with:

<wCropRange>10 10</wCropRange>
 46

E. Remove Tags

Remove the <files> tag that defines the input projections. The following text, and everything in-
between, can be deleted:

<files> …</files>

Remove the output <name> tag.

NOTE: there are two “name” tags, the first one has “Xstrahl” in it, do not remove this one. Remove
the second one which specifies an output directory.

<name>…<name>

Save and close the Mouse_Cropped.cal protocol file.

Open “My Computer” and navigate to the .xst folder that was just created, right click on it and select
Properties. Verify that the size of the reconstruction folder is less than 100MB. If it is not, the ROI
may need to be adjusted.

An average user will always use Mouse_Cropped for their CBCT scans.
 47

7. Create a FastScan Protocol

In the C:\SARRP_Data directory, make a copy of Mouse_Cropped.cal and rename the copy to:
Mouse_Cropped_Fast.cal

Open the new Mouse_Cropped_Fast.cal file using WordPad and change the angular range field
from 360 to 199. It should look like this:

<angularRange>199</angularRange>

Save and close the file.

 48

Robot to CT Transformation (Rob2CT)

Overview
There are two coordinate systems in SARRP: one referenced to the CT imaging space, and the
other referenced to the physical axes of the robot. In an ideal world these coordinate systems would
have the same origin and rotational orientations (Fig. 7-1). In reality these two coordinate systems
are slightly displaced and rotated with respect to one another (Fig. 7-2). When a target is specified
in a CBCT reconstruction, the goal is to move robot exactly to that target. For this to happen we
must know the small differences in the two coordinate systems. The following process generates
this data, providing more accurate placement of targets on the isocenter.

Fig. 7-1 Ideal Machine Scenario – Coordinate systems align

 49

Fig. 7-2 Reality – Coordinate system slightly different

 50

Fig. 7-3

Unless otherwise specified, all axis movements for this process will be accomplished using the
“Move Joints” dialog (see Fig. 7-3). Move the gantry to ninety degrees and install the nozzle holder.
Mount a bb specimen (2.3m shown here) on a low density block such as stiff foam (Figs. 7-4 through
7-6). Setup should allow full rotation of the theta axis without collision with the treatment nozzle.
The setup should also place the bb on the centerline of the x-ray beam when the z axis is close to
zero (approx +/- 1-2 mm). The 5x5 treatment nozzle can be a visual aid for initial alignment. This
will be referred to as the “Start” position.
 51

Fig. 7-4

Fig. 7-5

Fig. 7-6

The differences between coordinate systems are described by a “transformation matrix”. Each
transformation matrix has two parts: a rotation and a translation. The rotation part is a 3x3 matrix.
The translation part is a 1x3 vector that represents the displacement of the origins. In the following
two sections, we present the procedures for finding the rotation and translation parts of the
transformation matrix.
 52

This data will be stored in the C:\Program Files\sarrp\data\RobotCal.txt file. In this file, all of the
gantry offsets should be zero before proceeding:

gantryOffset-180 0,0,0

gantryOffset-165 0,0,0

gantryOffset-150 0,0,0

gantryOffset-135 0,0,0

gantryOffset-120 0,0,0

gantryOffset-105 0,0,0

gantryOffset-90 0,0,0

gantryOffset-75 0,0,0

gantryOffset-60 0,0,0

gantryOffset-45 0,0,0

gantryOffset-30 0,0,0

gantryOffset-15 0,0,0

gantryOffset0 0,0,0

gantryOffset15 0,0,0

gantryOffset30 0,0,0

gantryOffset45 0,0,0

gantryOffset60 0,0,0

gantryOffset75 0,0,0

gantryOffset90 0,0,0

gantryOffset105 0,0,0

gantryOffset120 0,0,0

gantryOffset135 0,0,0

gantryOffset150 0,0,0

gantryOffset165 0,0,0

gantryOffset180 0,0,0

Once the robot_cfg.txt file has been updated, the SARRP Software must be restarted to load in the
new numbers.
 53

Rotation Part of Transformation Matrix:

From the main toolbar, in “Help” menu, select “Rob2CT Calibration” (Step 1 in Fig. 7-7).

Fig. 7-7

A password will be requested. The password is: jhugulmay. The “Robot to CT Calibration” window
will appear. For computing any rotation matrix, we need at least three points in robot coordinates
and the corresponding points in the CT coordinates. Four points will be used, and the initial values of
these points are hard coded in the software, as shown in the Robot column (Step 1 in Fig. 7-9). A
CBCT scan will be performed at each of the four robot positions. The bb will be located and marked
in the reconstruction.

The image files will be in the directory C:\CBCT_Data\Calibration\ScanN, where N is the point
number (N = 1, 2, 3, 4). (Fig. 7-8).

Fig. 7-8
 54

For each point, press “Acquire CBCT” to perform a CBCT acquisition (Steps 2 in Fig. 7-9). The
robot will automatically move to the correct starting position. Follow the CBCT on-screen prompts.
Use 60 kV, 0.8mA, and the 1mm AL filter. Use MuriSlice to locate the BB in the reconstruction.

1 2

Fig. 7-9
 55

Fig. 7-10

Set markers on the bb in MuriSlice and click the “Create” button (Fig. 7-10). The X-Y-Z data for the
bb centre will be filled in for the point in the table. Select the new point in the table and then click
“Stage Destination Accept”.

After finding the four corresponding points in Robot and CT, click “Compute” to compute the rotation
matrix (Step 3 Fig. 7-9). The registration error (FRE in mm) is shown (Step 4 Fig. 7-9) and presents
how well the registration between robot and CT is performed. A FRE less than 0.5 mm is
recommended.

It is necessary to manually save the calibration result in the file RobotCal.txt. Copy the rotation
matrix (9 values) as exactly as it appears as the last 9 values of the ct2rob entry in RobotCal.txt.
Compare with the corresponding sample value below to ensure that the rotation matrix was
computed correctly.
 56

Rotation Matrix [rounded numbers] for SARRP2 and SARRP3:

0, 1, 0,
-1, 0, 0,
0, 0, 1

Save the RobotCal.txt file. Exit the SARRP GUI. Re-start the SARRP GUI, the values just entered
will now be used.
 57

Translation Part of Transformation Matrix

The next steps will proceed as follows: a bb target will be placed in the Start position as described in
Figs. 7-4 through 7-6. Ensure that the bb is elevated enough so that the theta stage can rotate to all
angles freely without collision between the couch and the treatment nozzle. Remove the treatment
nozzle and complete a CBCT of the bb. The bb is then located in the reconstruction, and markers
set on the bb. Very precise targeting of the bb is important here. The marker values are accepted,
and these values will then be written to the “Goal” coordinates in the main interface (Fig. 7-13). The
robot is then commanded to move to this position by clicking “Move”.

All robot movements can be commanded from the main GUI. The vector in RobotCal.txt is a CT to
Robot translation. The vector is in Robot coordinates, so when referencing the CT coordinates
shown in the main GUI, the vector is recorded as:

Y, X, Z,

If referenced from “Move Joints”, the vector is recorded as:

X, Y, Z,

Fig. 7-13

The treatment nozzle with 5x5 applicator is then replaced. Move theta to zero degrees. Capture a
flat panel image and save the .his file. Use the naming convention of “bb_[theta].his”, for example:
 58

bb_0.his, bb_180.his, bb_90.his, bb_-90.his. Move theta to 180 degrees, capture another flat panel
image and save the .his file.

What follows is very similar to the Mechanical Fine Centering procedure (Appendix). The difference
here is that the bb position is driven by the CT scan instead of manually as before. The images are
both imported into ImageJ, and the distance between the bb centers is measured using the same
methods as described in Mechanical Centering. Half of this distance is the Y component of the
(Y,X,Z,) offset vector in the RobotCal.txt file.

The same tasks will be performed to find the X component of the vector, except that the images are
captured at + / - 90 degrees rather than 0 and 180.

Each time a change is made to the one of the vector components in the RobotCal.txt file, the values
can be refreshed in the software by opening the “Calibrate beams” GUI and inputting the password
“jhugulmay”. The beam calibration GUI only needs to be launched and can be closed right away.
The change to the translation vector will cause a change in the “Iso” position in the SARRP GUI.
Click “Move” to apply the shift and match the Goal and Iso coordinates.

If the bb has physically moved or been bumped on the stages from its initial CT position, or stage
positions have been moved in a manner other than described above, the SARRP GUI should be
restarted and a new CT should be performed.

When successful the bb should remain stationary at the four theta positions: 0, 180, 90, -90. Capture
images at these angles to verify that the bb remains stationary. Note that the bb does not
necessarily have to be exactly centered in the square, is just needs to be stationary at the specified
angles.

BB CENTERED AT ALL ANGLES WITH CORRECT SHIFT VALUES

One confusing aspect of this procedure is maintaining a sense of direction. Understanding whether
to increase or decrease a vector component is essential to make progress through the procedure.
 59

The image pairs below serve as a guide. Compare your results to the images below to determine
what changes to make to the vector.

Make all corrections to the Y component first, and then move on to the X component. The Z
component is straightforward. If the bb is too low in the window, make the Z component larger
(more positive). If the bb is too high make the Z component smaller. You can make a Z adjustment
every time you change X or Y. This way the Z gets fixed in parallel with the other two.

Corrections to Y:

Y AT 0 DEGREES Offset = Positive

Y AT 180 DEGREES

SARRP3: If Y at 0 is to the left of Y at 180, make the Y offset more positive.

(SARRP1&2: If Y at 0 is to the left of Y at 180, make the Y offset more negative)

Load the images in ImageJ. Use Ctrl+Shift+T to threshold. Capture the center of mass
(Ctrl+M) of the bb. The difference between the two centers of masses in the x component
gives the pixel difference between the bb’s.

Number of pixels / 8.95 / 2 = change in mm

Input this number in RobotCal.txt (in the bold area shown here) on line: ct2rob 0, 0, 0,
 60

Corrections to X (similar process to Y):

X AT 90 DEGREES
Offset = Positive

X AT -90 DEGREES

SARRP3: If X at 90 is to the right of X at -90, make the X offset more positive.

(SARRP1&2: If X at 90 is to the right of X at -90, make the X offset more negative)

Number of pixels / 8.95 / 2 = change in mm

Input this number in RobotCal.txt (in the bold area shown here) on line: ct2rob 0, 0, 0,

Corrections to Z:

Load the image in ImageJ. Use Ctrl+Shift+T to threshold, Ctrl+Shift+I to invert. Capture the
center of mass of the collimator square. Compare this to the center of mass of the bb (as
done with X,Y). Here you are interested in the Y pixel value.

If the bb needs to be moved UP in the square, make the Z offset more positive.

The difference calculated here in mm is not halved as it was with X and Y.

Number of pixels / 8.95 = change in mm

Input this number in RobotCal.txt (in the bold area shown here) on line: ct2rob 0, 0, 0,

When all vector values have been corrected verify success by restarting the SARRP Software and
performing one last CBCT scan of the bb. Target the bb in MuriSlice and move it to the Isocenter.
The bb should remain stationary when theta is at 0/180 and 90/-90 using the Main GUI; be sure to
only capture an image once theta has finished moving to a specified angle.
 61

Treatment Beam (Gantry) Calibration

Overview
The purpose of gantry calibration is to account for any small pointing errors in the treatment beam.
Generally such errors are systematic, arising from a smoothly behaved flexation of the gantry structure
or a discrete offset error in angular movements.

Fig. 8-1 Ideal Machine - treatment beam goes through Isocenter

Fig. 8-2 Reality – treatment beam slightly misses Isocenter as gantry rotates
 62

The end result of gantry calibration is a set of corrections values for each gantry angle. These
offsets are created for every 15 degree gantry angle increment. The offsets for the in-between gantry
angles are computed using interpolation. The SARRP software will make continuous corrections to
the robot X, Y, and Z positions to make the Isocenter goal and the treatment beam intersect. When
performing arc treatments the X,Y, and Z positions will adjust on the fly as the theta axis rotates.
Measurement of beam location is made with the auxiliary calibration camera.

1. Camera Setup

Close the SARRP Software.

Launch VideoSetup.exe by clicking Start > All Programs > sarrp > Video Setup.

The SARRP software has three video streams: Webcam, Portal Camera, Calibration Camera.

When the calibration camera is plugged it, if it does not show up in the Calibration tab of the SARRP
GUI, it is necessary to reconfigure it using Video Setup.

Run Video Setup, the device selection will fall under the DCAM category. Once the camera selection
pops up, choose Flea 3 for the Calibration Camera (the Portal Camera uses the Flea 2).

Follow the instructions and ensure that a live stream pops up. Turn on x-rays and ensure you see
the x-ray beam with the camera.
 63

2. Calibration Setup

A. SARRP 3 (11+):

Before proceeding with the automated procedure, three calibration offsets must be determined so
that the beam is always relatively centred on the calibration camera. These offsets will go in
robot_cfg.txt with the tags “initial”, “offset1” and “offset2”. The default values are installed with
SARRP Software and are shown below:

Install the calibration camera. Ensure all robotic axes are at the zero position.

Prepare the SARRP for irradiation, i.e. detector panel back with cover down.

Install the copper filter. Install the nozzle with the calibration collimator (round opening, shorter than
all other collimators).

Turn on x-rays at 100Kv and 7mA with Broad focus.

Using “Move Joints”, move the x,y,z axes to:

-27, 3, 0
 64

Check that the beam spot is relatively centred on the camera. This check will ensure x and y are
aligned. Move the gantry to -90. If necessary, adjust the z axis such that the beam is centred. The
coordinates shown in “Move Joints” will be the “initial” offset in robot_cfg.txt.

Use Move Joints to centre the x-ray beam on the camera at gantry angles 90 and 105. These
coordinates will be “offset1” in robot_cfg.txt.

Use Move Joints to centre the x-ray beam on the camera at gantry angles -165, 165, and 180.
These coordinates will be “offset2” in robot_cfg.txt.

After the offsets in robot_cfg.txt have been updated, save and close the text file. Restart the SARRP
Software to load the new values.

B. SARRP 2 (1-10):

Install the calibration camera facing away from the detector (See Figs. 8-4 & 8-5). Install the camera
at the 45 degree position. Install the treatment nozzle with the calibration applicator.

Fig. 8-4 calibration camera set at forty five degrees

 65

3. Beam Calibration Steps

From the SARRP main GUI select calibrate beams as shown in Fig. 8-3. The password (when
requested) is: jhugulmay.

Set the MP1 to Mode 802 with the key in HT. Set the X-Ray parameters tot 110kV and 7mA. Set a
long enough exposure time, such as 1800s (30min), to ensure that all of the subsequent automated
steps can be completed.

The beam calibration process is automated. Make sure x-rays are OFF and click on the “Find
Center” button. At first, it will acquire a dark field image, and then it will prompt for x-rays to be
turned ON. After turning x-rays ON, click OK to this prompt. The stages will go through various theta
angles. This step is complete when values get entered in the corresponding data box.

Proceed to find the axis by clicking “Find Axis”. It will again perform some rotations and some
vertical moves as well. When the data shows up, the remaining buttons in the GUI will become
enabled.
 66

When you click a button for a given angle the gantry will automatically move to that angle, and a
visual servoing process will follow. What happens is that the image becomes binary black or white,
and the stages will perform some moves at two different elevations of z. Clicking “Fine All Beam
Axes” will run through all gantry angles from -180 to 180. After each beam angle is computed, a line
will appear in the graph which shows its approximate vector in relation to other calculated beam
angles.

When all the data is filled in click the “Compute” button to generate the offsets.

Some general measures of success for this procedure:

1) The z offsets should all be “small” (approximately 1mm or less).

2) The offsets should show rather smooth behavior across the range of angles - i.e. not
jumping high, then low, then negative etc from one angle to another. Physically, think
about the anticipated smooth change of error as a gantry rotates (due to flex and gravity
for instance). Values that jump all over would not be expected.
 67

Fig. 8-7 Gantry Calibration GUI for SARRP Type 3

Save all the data to a text file. This can than be opened to cut and paste all the offsets at once
rather than typing everything one at a time Fig. 8-8. The new offsets should be copied into the
RobotCal.txt file in the C:\Program File\sarrp\data folder (Fig. 8-9). Save the file and re-start the
sarrp GUI to pick up the new values.

If calibrating on a Type 2 or Type 3 machine, only gantry angles from 0-105 will be displayed:

Fig. 8-7-2 Gantry Calibration GUI for SARRP Type 1 & 2

 68

Fig. 8-8

Fig. 8-9
 69

Using ImageJ with SARRP Files

ImageJ is a public domain Java image processing program that is installed along with the SARRP
GUI. It can be started from the SARRP GUI or launched independently as with any other Windows
program. ImageJ will be used frequently during the calibration process. Below are descriptions of
the ImageJ features (a few of many available) that are used in the following procedures.

OPENING FILES FROM THE FLAT PANEL DETECTOR

Fig. 1-1

The Perkin Elmer panel images are saved as .his files. This is a proprietary format. To use them in
ImageJ the files must be imported. The process starts as shown above in Fig 1-1. A standard
Windows file dialog will appear and a particular file can be selected as shown in Fig 1-2.
 70

Fig. 1-2

Once a file has been selected a data dialog will be presented. For 200 micron panels the data
should read as shown in Fig. 1-3. For 400 micron panels the 1024 values should be replaced by
512. This data will persist from session to session after being entered (or changed) the first time.
 71

Fig. 1-3

Shown in Fig. 1-4 is the image of a test bb roughly centered in the output of the 5x5 treatment
nozzle. This is how the initial presentation of an image will appear depending on the KV and MA
values used for exposure. The image is displayed full frame (zoomed all the way out).
 72

Fig. 1-4

You can zoom in or out by using the + and - keys on the keyboard. The zooming will center to
wherever the cursor is located in the image. To zoom in on the bb keep the cursor centered on the
bb while repeatedly pressing the Up arrow key. The relative zoom level is indicated by the icons in
 73

the upper left corner of the image. The cursor location and pixel value are shown on the menu bar
info line.

Fig. 1-5
 74

The appearance of the image can be adjusted using windowing and leveling operations. The
window / level control is accessed via menus as shown in Fig. 1-6.

Fig. 1-6
 75

Adjusting the sliders will change the appearance. Qualitatively, the Level slider adjusts brightness,
and the Window slider adjusts contrast. Fig. 1-7 shows a result of adjusting these controls.

Fig. 1-7
 76

Thresholding is a process that transforms all image data to one of two levels: black or white. It is
useful for isolating objects in an image and allowing measurements to take place. The threshold
dialog can be accessed by pressing Ctrl+Shift+T on the keyboard. For our purposes only the lower
slider need be adjusted. Fig. 1-8 shows the image threshold level has not yet isolated the bb from
its glue spot and sticker. Fig. 1-9 shows a different slider value has isolated the bb and retained its
round shape. You must click on the apply button to complete the threshold operation.

Fig. 1-8
 77

Fig. 1-9

ImageJ allows measurements to be made on images. This process requires drawing shapes on the
image (lines, rectangles, circles, and freeform) and then requesting measurement. The types of
information returned are controlled by the Set Measurements dialog which is accessed as shown in
Fig. 1-10.
 78

Fig. 1-10

You may select any information desired. It is necessary to check the selection for Center of Mass as
shown in Fig. 1-11. This measurement will be used frequently during system set up and calibration.
After selection a region in the image, the Center of Mass can be found with Ctrl+M.
 79

Fig. 1-11

The Center of Mass operation allows the user to find the center of the bb more accurately and
repeatably than setting points with the cursor. To locate the bb center draw a rectangle around the
bb (after the thresholding operation). Do not include anything but the bb inside the rectangle. After
this press Crtl+M on the keyboard. The results window will be displayed as shown in Fig. 1-12. The
 80

XM and YM columns indicated the center of the bb as shown These numbers are the pixel value of
the center. The central pixel of a 200 micron panel is (512, 512).

Fig. 1-12

Sandwich Test

Overview:
 81

The film-sandwich test verifies the geometric accuracy of the SARRP system as a whole. In
performing this test, CBCT imaging, target selection, positioning, and irradiation are necessary to
work without flaw.

The approach uses three pieces of self developing x-ray film equally separated by plastic-water
spacers. It’s important for the spacers to be very flat and of equal thickness. Making the films and
spacers all the same square size makes the testing easier. The items shown in Fig. 1 are all
approximately two inches squares. The spacers are 5mm in thickness. Thicker spacers will
increase the sensitivity of the test, and are preferred over thinner ones.

Fig. 1

The idea of the test is to target a treatment beam exactly on the center film and rotate the theta axis
with the x-rays on. If the targeting is accurate the center film will have a small dot from the
exposure. The upper and lower films will have circles of equal size, although the lower film will show
less exposure (due to attenuation through the stack). A small hole in the center film allows judging
accuracy in the plane of the film.

Fig. 2 shows a center film resulting from a successful test.

 82

Fig. 2
 83

Procedure:

The targeting is done via CBCT acquisition and markers in the reconstruction. Label the films with a
permanent marker as shown. The arrows are used to orient the films to a specific direction.
Knowing orientation can be useful for troubleshooting.

Make a 0.5mm target hole in the center film.

Arrange the films and spacers into a stack as shown in Fig. 3. Make sure all the arrows point in the
same direction.

Fig. 3

Bind the stack tightly together with tape. It is important to get the stack quite tight as the test is
sensitive to vertical displacements. The stack should appear similar to Fig. 4.
 84

Fig. 4: Assembled film-sandwich

Place the stack on a support (such as the long mouse bed). See that the stack is well centered over
the theta axis, but do not put it too far out on the couch as it may sag. Instead, keep it close to the
base and move the Y axis on the robotics. Tape the stack in place so that it will not move during the
test. Adjust the vertical position to have the center film very close to the center of the x-ray beam
when the gantry is at ninety degrees.
 85

Perform a CBCT acquisition of the stack using the fine focal spot, 60kV and 0.8mA. Use 360
images. Locate the center hole in the reconstruction as shown in Fig. 5.

Fig 5

Zoom in and locate the hole exactly, as shown on Fig 6.

 86

Fig 6

Click Create and name the marker, then click Accept Coordinates.

Back in the SARRP Software, click OK to confirm the position, then click Move to move the robotics.

Repeat the CBCT Acquisition process, this time take 1440 slices rather than the default 360 (the tiny
target hole is hard to see – using more raw image acquisitions improves visibility in the
reconstruction).

Zoom in on MuriSlice and locate the hole exactly, as shown in Fig 7. Very precise targeting here is
crucial. Use the Black/White sliders to adjust the contrast.
 87

Fig 7.

As before, click Create and name the marker.

Take a screenshot of this view and save it to C:/Xstrahl Service Data.

Then click Accept Coordinates. Back in the SARRP Software, click OK to confirm the position, then
click Move to move the robotics.

Move the detector panel back (or cover with lead shield on SARRP2 systems) and prepare for
irradiation by installing the treatment nozzle with the 0.5mm applicator and using the copper filter, as
shown in Fig. 8 & 9.
 88

Fig. 8

Fig. 9
 89

Set the MP1 to Mode 802 with the key in HT position.

In the SARRP Software set the X-Ray parameters to 220 Kv, 13mA, and Broad focal spot.

Open the Continuous Arc Motion dialog from the Delivery top menu.

Fig. 9-9

Fig. 10

Set the Delivery properties as outlined in the tables below, depending on the Film Set.

Click Perform Arc Motion to start the arc delivery.

X-Rays will turn off when motion is done.

 90

Film Set 1:

Gantry Speed Couch

30 -178 to 178 1.0

45 178 to -178 0.75

60 -178 to 178 0.5

The reason for alternating the couch rotation is so that you can start where you last left off.

Film Set 2:

Gantry Speed Couch

-60 -178 to 178 0.5

-135 178 to -45 0.75

*Move Stage to 0 first then move Gantry to 150 position. Then repeat steps for
continuous arc motion.
150 -178 to 45 1.0

A successful test will expose the films as shown in Fig. 11 and Fig 12.
 91

Sample Sandwich Test Results

30°
45°
60°

Fig 11

150°
-60°
-135°

Fig 12