Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35856943›Full record

ArticleJournal of applied clinical medical physics2022

Is a weekly qualitative picket fence test sufficient? A proposed alternate EPID-based weekly MLC QA program.

Chaitanya Kalavagunta, Huijun Xu, Baoshe Zhang, Sina Mossahebi, Michael MacFarlane, Kai Jiang, Sung-Woo Lee, Shifeng Chen, Amit Sawant, Arun Gopal and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of applied clinical medical physics, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Chaitanya KalavaguntaDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Huijun XuDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Baoshe ZhangDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Sina MossahebiDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Michael MacFarlaneDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Kai JiangDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Sung-Woo LeeDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Shifeng ChenDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Amit SawantDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Arun GopalDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
ByongYong YiDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeWell-designed routine multileaf collimator (MLC) quality assurance (QA) is important to assure external-beam radiation treatment delivery accuracy. This study evaluates the clinical necessity of a comprehensive weekly (C-Weekly) MLC QA program compared to the American Association of Physics in Medicinerecommended weekly picket fence test (PF-Weekly), based on our seven-year experience with weekly MLC QA.

methodsThe C-Weekly MLC QA program used in this study includes 5 tests to analyze: (1) absolute MLC leaf position; (2) interdigitation MLC leaf position; (3) picket fence MLC leaf positions at static gantry angle; (4) minimum leaf-gap setting; and (5) volumetric-modulated arc therapy delivery. A total of 20,226 QA images from 16,855 tests (3,371 tests × 5) for 11 linacs at 5 photon clinical sites from May 2014 to June 2021 were analyzed. Failure mode and effects analysis was performed with 5 failure modes related to the 5 tests. For each failure mode, a risk probability number (RPN) was calculated for a C-Weekly and a PF-Weekly MLC QA program. The probability of occurrence was evaluated from statistical analyses of the C-Weekly MLC QA.

resultsThe total number of failures for these 16,855 tests was 143 (0.9%): 39 (27.3%) for absolute MLC leaf position, 13 (9.1%) for interdigitation position, 9 (6.3%) for static gantry picket fence, 2 (1.4%) for minimum leaf-gap setting, and 80 (55.9%) for VMAT delivery. RPN scores for PF-Weekly MLC QA ranged from 60 to 192 and from 48 to 96 for C-Weekly MLC QA.

conclusionRPNs for the 5 failure modes of MLC QA tests were quantitatively determined and analyzed. A comprehensive weekly MLC QA is imperative to lower the RPNs of the 5 failure modes to the desired level (<125); those from the PF-Weekly MLC QA program were found to be higher (>125). This supports the clinical necessity for comprehensive weekly MLC QA.

Indexed as

Particle AcceleratorsRadiotherapy, Intensity-ModulatedElectrical Equipment and SuppliesHumansAmerican Association of Physics in Medicine Task Group 142electronic portal imaging devicefailure mode and effects analysisleaf-end leakagemultileaf collimator quality assurancepicket fencevolumetric-modulated arc therapy

Identifiers

PMID35856943
PMCPMC9359020

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.