Method for measuring the intensity profile of a CT fan-beam filter

Research on CT systems often requires knowledge of intensity as a function of angle in the fan-beam, due to the presence of bowtie filters, for studies such as dose reduction simulation, Monte Carlo dose calculations, or statistical reconstruction algorithms. Since manufacturers consider the x-ray bowtie filter design to be proprietary information, several methods have been proposed to measure the beam intensity profile independently: 1) calculate statistical properties of noise in acquired sinograms (requires access to raw data files, which is also vendor proprietary); 2) measure the waveform of a dosimeter located away from the isocenter (requires dosimeter equipment costing > 10K). We present a novel method that is inexpensive (parts costing ~100 from any hardware store, using Gafchromic film at ~3 per measurement), requires no proprietary information, and can be performed in a few minutes. A fixture is built from perforated steel tubing, which forms an aperture that selectively samples the intensity at a particular fan-beam angle in a rotating gantry. Two exposures (1× and 2×) are made and self-developing radiochromic film (Gafchromic XR- Ashland Inc.) is then scanned on an inexpensive PC document scanner. An analysis method is described that linearizes the measurements for relative exposure. The resultant profile is corrected for geometric effects (1/LΛ2 fall-off, gantry dwell time) and background exposure, providing a noninvasive estimate of the CT fan-beam intensity present in an operational CT system. This method will allow researchers to conveniently measure parameters required for modeling the effects of bowtie filters in clinical scanners.