Characterization of a dynamic multi-leaf collimator for stereotactic radiotherapy applications

The Apex® dynamic mini-multileaf collimator has recently been released by Elekta and attaches directly to the linear accelerator head. This paper details the work and results obtained in characterizing this mini-MLC for stereotactic usage within our department. A range of mechanical and dosimetric characteristics were investigated which included inter and intra leaf leakage, light/radiation field congruence, leaf position reproducibility, radiation penumbra, total scatter factors and mechanical rotational stability with the additional mini-MLC weight.