Commissioning of a linear accelerator with independent jaws: computerised data collection and transfer to a planning computer

Treatment planning for modern day radiotherapy is usually performed by dedicated computers. It is the task of the radiation physicist to ensure that data prepared for such computers are compatible with the format required by the software. This requirement has posed a special problem in the preparation of dosimetry data for linear accelerators. The author describes a simple method which was used to collect and prepare dosimetry data from the MEL SL75-5 linear accelerator with an independent jaw facility. The data was then transferred to an IGE RT/PLAN computer.