Effect of X-ray exposure parameters on the false-node rate and radiation dose in CyberKnife spine tracking

Objective To explore the relationship of X-ray exposure parameters and false-node rate during image-guidance treatment with CyberKnife spine tracking.Methods Using spine tracking planning on a chest phantom,several combinations of X-ray exposure parameters were used to locate.The false-node ratio and the surface absorbed dose were investigated and the radiation dose was optimized.Results The false-node ratio and surface absorbed radiation dose decreased when the X-ray exposure parameters increased until they saturated.In the range of ≤5.0％ false-node rate,the surface absorbed radiation dose was 0.11,0.26 mGy,and 0.31-0.46 mGy,when the false-node rate was 2.77％,1.07％and 1.0％,respectively.Conclusions In image-guided treatment of CyberKnife,the radiation dose would be optimized,and the patient's radiation dose would be reduced greatly,which is important to protect the patients. Key words: CyberKnife;  Image-guidance;  Spine tracking;  Radiation dose