Geometrical aspects of scatter-to-primary ratio and primary dose

Using an approximation of Bjarngard and Petti [Phys. Med. Biol. 33, 21-32 (1988)] that the scatter-to-primary ratio SPR(r,d) is a linear function of the geometrical parameter z = rd/(r + d) (where r is the radius of photon beam and d is depth in phantom), a method was developed to determine primary dose directly from depth-dose data, measured within the range of fields with lateral electronic equilibrium. This method was evaluated using tabulated TAR data for Co-60 gamma radiation in water. The results for primary dose agree within approximately 1% of those from other studies. It was shown that this method is applicable within the energy range of therapeutic x rays. Primary dose was determined in the case of 6- and 18-MV x rays using proposed method.