Using MLCs to deliver compensated fields

The use of physical compensators to attenuate radiotherapy treatment beams to account for tissue irregularities is a traditional technique which be time consuming and costly. In work, a technique for determining multileaf collimator shaped radiation fields to achieve the same tissue compensation effect as for physical compensators was developed with a view to minimising preparation and treatment time. Results show dose distributions calculated on the authors' treatment planning system for physical and multileaf collimator compensation techniques to be in good agreement. The clinical implementation of this technique will depend on the efficiency of MLC field delivery available.