IEC (International Electronic Commissioning) is the world’s leading organization that prepares and publishes International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.  Wherever you find electricity and electronics, you find the IEC supporting safety and performance, the environment, electrical energy efficiency and renewable energies.  The IEC also manages conformity assessment systems that certify that equipment, systems or components conform to its International Standards.

Out of the four components (the couch, jaws, collimator and gantry), we cover the couch and the gantry in this post and will discuss the jaws and the collimator in next post.

The answer is 4.5 cm.

The answer is 998.5 cm.

The answer is 8.5 cm.

The answer is 994.5 cm.

The answer is 79 cm.

The answer is 55 cm.

The answer is 25 degrees.

The answer is 105 degrees.

Couch: Vertical Movement
The couch vertical is at 8.5 cm. You need to move the table 4 cm upward toward the ceiling. At what do you set the new vertical position of the table from outside the treatment room: 12.5 cm or 4.5 cm?
Click on this link for the answer. Depending on your screen resolution, you may have to scroll up to see the answer window.
The couch vertical is at 2.5 cm. You need to move the table 4 cm upward toward the ceiling. At what do you set the vertical position of the table from outside the treatment room: 6.5, -1.5 or 998.5 cm?
Click on this link for the answer.
Tip: Table vertical position is at 0 degrees at iso-center. Moving the couch toward the floor down from iso-center, the number increases on this coordinate axes. If you move the couch toward the ceiling up from iso-center, the number decreases from 1000.

Couch: Lateral Movement
The couch lateral position is at 4.5 cm. You need to move the table 4 cm toward the right of the gantry if you face the gantry. What do you set the new lateral position of the table from outside the treatment room: 8.5 cm or -8.5 cm?
Click on this link for the answer.
The couch lateral position is at 2.5 cm. You need to move the table 8 cm toward left of the gantry if you face the gantry. What do you set the new lateral position of the table from outside the treatment room: -5.5 cm or 994.5 cm?
Click on this link for the answer.
Tip: Table lateral position is at 0 degrees at iso-center. When moving the couch toward the right (facing the gantry) from iso-center, the number increases on this coordinate axes. If you move the couch toward left (facing the gantry) from iso-center, the number decreases from 1000.

Couch: Longitudinal Movement
The couch longitudinal is at 55 cm. You need to move the couch 24 cm toward the gantry. What do you set the new longitudinal position of the table from outside the treatment room: 79 cm or 31 cm?
Click on this link for the answer.
The couch longitudinal is at 105 cm. You need to move the couch 50 cm away from the gantry. What do you set the new longitudinal position of the table from outside the treatment room: -55 cm or 55 cm?
Click on this link for the answer.
Tip: Table longitudinal Position increases if the couch moves towards the gantry and decreases if the couch moves away from the gantry.

Gantry
The gantry is at 115 degrees. You need to move gantry 90 CCW. What do you set the position of the gantry from outside the treatment room: -25, 25, 205, or 335 degrees.
Click on this link for the answer.
The gantry is at 15 degrees. You need to move gantry 90 CW. What do you set the position of the gantry from outside the treatment room: -75, 105, or 255 degrees.
Click on this link for the answer.
Tip: The gantry on the Varian IEC 601-2-1 scale is at 0 degrees when the gantry is up at vertical position. The degree increases as gantry rotates CW. It goes to 90 degrees when the gantry is to the right (facing the gantry), to 180 degree when gantry is down at vertical position, to 270 degree when gantry is to the left (facing the gantry) and increases as it rotates CW to 359.9 and then 0 degree up at vertical position. Reversely, the angle decreases as gantry rotates CCW.

References:

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Also, stay tuned, as we are also working on another novel functionality for the site, which will hopefully be ready to go live this summer.

Elekta was founded in 1972 by the late Lars Leksell, Professor of Neurosurgey at Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. Currently, Elekta technologies are used in over 5,000 hospitals across the globe, and each day over 100,000 patients receive diagnosis, treatment or follow-up with the help of a solution from the Elekta Group. Tomas Puusepp, is present President and CEO of ELEKTA Corporation International. Shares of Elekta stock trade on the Nordic exchange OMX with the ticker symbol EKTA B. Interestingly, while Elekta shares trade in Sweden, nearly half of its revenue from equipment sales come from the United States. Elekta corporate headquarters is in Stockholm, Sweden.

Varian Medical Systems, Inc. was founded in the late 1940s as Varian Associates in the late 1940s by a group of scientists with strong connections to Stanford University. The company founders included brothers Russell and Sigurd Varian, inventors of the klystron tube, a high-frequency amplifier for generating microwaves that became an essential component of the modern medical linear accelerator. Since the late 1960s, more than 5,200 Varian Medical Systems linear accelerators have been installed in hospitals and clinics worldwide. In 1999, Varian Associates split its semiconductor, vacuum tubes, and medical device divisions into Varian Semiconductor, Varian Inc, and Varian Medical Systems, respectively. Varian employs approximately 5,000 people in its manufacturing sites and sales/support offices across the globe. Timothy E. Guertin is present president and CEO of Varian Medical System Inc. Varian trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) with the ticker symbol VAR. Varian corporate headquarters is in Palo Alto, California.

Now, for a little fun to test your knowledge of Varian and Elekta products…After all, knowing and being up-to-date on available clinical solutions is a part of being a physicist. Gauge your familiarity with Varian and Elekta products by naming the competing product for each of the following:

1- If Varian has Acuity, what does Elekta have?

2- If Varian has Eclipse, what does Elekta have?

3- If Varian has Rapid Arc, what does Elekta have?

4- If Elekta has MOSAIQ, what does Varian have?

5- If Elekta has the Leksell Gamma Knife, what does Varian have?

6- If Elekta has Infinity, what does Varian have?

7- If Elekta has Axesse, what does Varian have?

8- If Varian has Aria, what does Elekta have?

9- If Varian has Silhouette, what does Elekta have?

10- If Elekta has Synergy, what does Varian have?

And lastly, a bonus question, if you will, who has the Cyberknife?