multileaf collimator

English

Etymology

So called because it is made up of individual "leaves" of a chemical element, usually tungsten, that can move independently in and out of the path of a particle beam in order to block it.

Noun

multileaf collimator (plural multileaf collimators)

1. (medicine) A collimator used in a linear accelerator to provide conformal shaping of beams for radiotherapy. Abbreviation: MLC.

Derived terms

• mini-multileaf collimator