Dosimetry of a novel prototype energy-modulated stereotactic radiosurgery cone

Graduate Investigator: Jessica Fagerstrom

Summary of Research: One aim of many clinical stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) protocols is to deliver a homogeneous dose distribution conforming strictly to a target volume, with steep dose gradients outside the target. Previous SRS energy studies have indicated that lowering the beam energy to the orthovoltage range results in the improvement of various plan metrics.  Modulation of beam energy, even across such a small aperature, may serve further to create the idealized homogeneous, strictly conformal dose distribution. Building a prototype for such a system and characterizing its dosimetry are the goals of this project.