Characterization of an MR-compatible motion platform for quality assurance of motion-compensated treatments on the 1.5 T MR-linac

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Novel motion-compensated treatment techniques on the MR-linac can address adverse intra-fraction motion effects. These techniques involve beam gating or intra-fraction adaptations of the treatment plan based on real-time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed during treatment. For quality assurance (QA) of these workflows, a multi-purpose motion platform is desirable. This platform should accommodate various phantoms, enabling multiple QA workflows. PURPOSE: This study aims to evaluate the new IBA QUASAR Motion MR Platform for use in the 1.5 T MR-linac. METHODS: The motion platform was assessed for several magnetic resonance (MR) characteristics, including spurious noise generation and B0&B1 homogeneity. In addition, the motion platform's motion accuracy and beam attenuation were assessed. An application was shown with a ScandiDos Delta4 Phantom+ MR demonstrating patient-specific plan QA of gated treatments using time-resolved dosimetry that includes motion based on a patient's respiratory motion trace. RESULTS: All MR characterization measurements were within the set tolerances for MRI QA. The motion platform motion accuracy showed excellent agreement with the reference, with a standard deviation of the amplitude of 0.01 mm (20 kg load) for the motor's self-estimated positions and 0.22 mm (no load) for the images acquired with the electronic portal imager. Beam attenuation was found to be 11.8%. The combination of the motion platform and Delta4 demonstrated motion-included dosimetry at high temporal and spatial resolutions. Motion influenced the measured dose in non-gated treatments by up to -20.1%, while gated deliveries showed differences of up to -1.7% for selected diodes. CONCLUSION: The motion platform was found to be usable in a 1.5 T magnetic field, and for all MR characterization experiments, no influence from the motion platform was observed. This motion platform enables to perform motion-included QA, with a measurement device of choice.