Medical PhysicsVolume 20, Issue 6 p. 1709-1719 Free Access Tomotherapy: A new concept for the delivery of dynamic conformal radiotherapy T. Rock Mackie, T. Rock Mackie Department of Medical Physics and Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WisconsinSearch for more papers by this authorTimothy Holmes, Timothy Holmes Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WisconsinSearch for more papers by this authorStuart Swerdloff, Stuart Swerdloff Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WisconsinSearch for more papers by this authorPaul Reckwerdt, Paul Reckwerdt Department of Medical Physics and Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WisconsinSearch for more papers by this authorJoseph O. Deasy, Joseph O. Deasy Department of Medical Physics and Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WisconsinSearch for more papers by this authorJames Yang, James Yang Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WisconsinSearch for more papers by this authorBhudatt Paliwal, Bhudatt Paliwal Department of Medical Physics and Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WisconsinSearch for more papers by this authorTimothy Kinsella, Timothy Kinsella Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WisconsinSearch for more papers by this author T. Rock Mackie, T. Rock Mackie Department of Medical Physics and Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WisconsinSearch for more papers by this authorTimothy Holmes, Timothy Holmes Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WisconsinSearch for more papers by this authorStuart Swerdloff, Stuart Swerdloff Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WisconsinSearch for more papers by this authorPaul Reckwerdt, Paul Reckwerdt Department of Medical Physics and Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WisconsinSearch for more papers by this authorJoseph O. Deasy, Joseph O. Deasy Department of Medical Physics and Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WisconsinSearch for more papers by this authorJames Yang, James Yang Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WisconsinSearch for more papers by this authorBhudatt Paliwal, Bhudatt Paliwal Department of Medical Physics and Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WisconsinSearch for more papers by this authorTimothy Kinsella, Timothy Kinsella Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WisconsinSearch for more papers by this author First published: November 1993 https://doi.org/10.1118/1.596958Citations: 819AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Abstract Tomotherapy, literally “slice therapy,” is a proposal for the delivery of radiation therapy with intensity-modulated strips of radiation. The proposed method employs a linear accelerator, or another radiation-emitting device, which would be mounted on a ring gantry like a CT scanner. The patient would move through the bore of the gantry simultaneously with gantry rotation. The intensity modulation would be performed by temporally modulated multiple independent leaves that open and close across the slit opening. At any given time, any leaf would be (1) closed, covering a portion of the slit, (2) open, allowing radiation through, or (3) changing between these states. This method would result in the delivery of highly conformal radiation. Overall treatment times should be comparable with contemporary treatment delivery times. The ring gantry would make it convenient to mount a narrow multisegmented megavoltage detector system for beam verification and a CT scanner on the treatment unit. Such a treatment unit could become a powerful tool for treatment planning, conformal treatment, and verification using tomographic images. The physical properties of this treatment delivery are evaluated and the fundamental design specifications are justified. Citing Literature Volume20, Issue6November 1993Pages 1709-1719 This article also appears in:Advances in Radiation Treatment Delivery and Quality Assurance RelatedInformation