Flatness characteristics for diagonal scans from Varian and Siemens linear accelerators

The advent of 3D treatment planning systems whose algorithms utilize diagonal scan data to perform dose calculations has made the collection of diagonal profile data essential. Manufacturers' specifications (MS) on beam flatness and symmetry apply to both the radial and transverse axes of all square field sizes from 10 × 10 cm 2 to the largest field available. Beam profile measurements were obtained for both diagonal axes over a range of field sizes and depths for two units, a Varian 2100C and a Siemens KD. In this note the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) flatness definition was used to characterize the diagonal flatness of each beam.