The FE-lspd model for electron beam dosimetry

The FE-lspd model is a two-component electron beam model that distinguishes between electrons that can be described by small-angle transport theory and electrons that are too widely scattered for small-angle transport theory to be applicable. The two components are called the primary beam and the laterally scattered primary distribution (lspd). The primary beam component incorporates a simple version of the Fermi-Eyges model and dominates dose calculations at therapeutic depths. The lspd component corrects erros in the lateral spreading of the primary beam component, thereby improving the accuracy by which the FE-lspd model calculates dose distribution in blocked fields. Comparisons were made between dose profiles and central-axis depth dose distributions in small fields calculated by the FE-lspd, Fermi-Eyges and EGS4 Monte Carlo models for a 10 MeV beam in a homogeneous water phantom. The maximum difference between the dose calculated using the FE-lspd model and EGS4 Monte Carlo is about 6% at a field diameter of about 1 cm, and less than 2% for field sizes greater than 3 cm diameter. The maximum difference between the Fermi-Eyges and Monte Carlo calculations is about 18% at a field diameter of about 2.5 cm. A comparison was made with the central-axis depth dose distribution measured in water for a 3 cm diameter field in a 10 MeV clinical electron beam. The errors in the dose distribution were found to be less than 2% using the FE-lspd model but almost 18% using the Fermi-Eyges model. A comparison was also made with pencil beam profiles calculated using the second-order Fermi-Eyges transport model.