Characterization of a 0.35T MR system for phantom image quality stability and in vivo assessment of motion quantification.

ViewRay is a novel MR-guided radiotherapy system capable of imaging in near real-time at four frames per second during treatment using 0.35T field strength. It allows for improved gating techniques and adaptive radiotherapy. Three cobalt-60 sources (~ 15,000 Curies) permit multiple-beam, intensity-modulated radiation therapy. The primary aim of this study is to assess the imaging stability, accuracy, and automatic segmentation algorithm capability to track motion in simulated and in vivo targets. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics of the system were assessed using the American College of Radiology (ACR)-recommended phantom and accreditation protocol. Images of the ACR phantom were acquired using a head coil following the ACR scanning instructions. ACR recommended T1- and T2-weighted sequences were evaluated. Nine measurements were performed over a period of seven months, on just over a monthly basis, to establish consistency. A silicon dielectric gel target was attached to the motor via a rod. 40 mm total amplitude was used with cycles of 3 to 9 s in length in a sinusoidal trajectory. Trajectories of six moving clinical targets in four canine patients were quantified and tracked. ACR phantom images were analyzed, and the results were compared with the ACR acceptance levels. Measured slice thickness accuracies were within the acceptance limits. In the 0.35 T system, the image intensity uniformity was also within the ACR acceptance limit. Over the range of cycle lengths, representing a wide range of breathing rates in patients imaged at four frames/s, excellent agreement was observed between the expected and measured target trajectories. In vivo canine targets, including the gross target volume (GTV), as well as other abdominal soft tissue structures, were visualized with inherent MR contrast, allowing for preliminary results of target tracking.

The effect and stability of MVCT images on adaptive TomoTherapy.

Use of helical TomoTherapy-based MVCT imaging for adaptive planning is becoming increasingly popular. Treatment planning and dose calculations based on MVCT require an image value to electron density calibration to remain stable over the course of treatment time. In this work, we have studied the dosimetric impact on TomoTherapy treatment plans due to variation in image value to density table (IVDT) curve as a function of target degradation. We also have investigated the reproducibility and stability of the TomoTherapy MVCT image quality over time. Multiple scans of the TomoTherapy "Cheese" phantom were performed over a period of five months. Over this period, a difference of 4.7% in the HU values was observed in high-density regions while there was no significant variation in the image values for the low densities of the IVDT curve. Changes in the IVDT curves before and after target replacement were measured. Two clinical treatment sites, pelvis and prostate, were selected to study the dosimetric impact of this variation. Dose was recalculated on the MVCTs with the planned fluence using IVDT curves acquired before and after target change. For the cases studied, target replacement resulted in an overall difference of less than 5%, which can be significant for hypo-fractionated cases. Hence, it is recommended to measure the IVDT curves on a monthly basis and after any major repairs/replacements.

The American Board of Radiology Perspective on Maintenance of Certification: Part IV: Practice quality improvement in radiologic physics.

Recent initiatives of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) in the area of maintenance of certification (MOC) have been reflective of the response of the medical community to address public concerns regarding quality of care, medical error reduction, and patient safety. In March 2000, the 24 member boards of the ABMS representing all medical subspecialties in the USA agreed to initiate specialty-specific maintenance of certification (MOC) programs. The American Board of Radiology (ABR) MOC program for diagnostic radiology, radiation oncology, and radiologic physics has been developed, approved by the ABMS, and initiated with full implementation for all three disciplines beginning in 2007. The overriding objective of MOC is to improve the quality of health care through diplomate-initiated learning and quality improvement. The four component parts to the MOC process are: Part I: Professional standing, Part II: Evidence of life long learning and periodic self-assessment, Part III: Cognitive expertise, and Part IV: Evaluation of performance in practice (with the latter being the focus of this paper). The key components of Part IV require a physicist-based response to demonstrate commitment to practice quality improvement (PQI) and progress in continuing individual competence in practice. Diplomates of radiologic physics must select a project to be completed over the ten-year cycle that potentially can improve the quality of the diplomate's individual or systems practice and enhance the quality of care. Five categories have been created from which an individual radiologic physics diplomate can select one required PQI project: (1) Safety for patients, employees, and the public, (2) accuracy of analyses and calculations, (3) report turnaround time and communication issues, (4) practice guidelines and technical standards, and (5) surveys (including peer review of self-assessment reports). Each diplomate may select a project appropriate for an individual, participate in a project within a clinical department, participate in a peer review of a self-assessment report, or choose a qualified national project sponsored by a society. Once a project has been selected, the steps are: (1) Collect baseline data relevant to the chosen project, (2) review and analyze the data, (3) create and implement an improvement plan, (4) remeasure and track, and (5) report participation to the ABR, using the template provided by the ABR. These steps begin in Year 2, following training in Year 1. Specific examples of individual PQI projects for each of the three disciplines of radiologic physics are provided. Now, through the MOC programs, the relationship between the radiologic physicist and the ABR will be continuous through the diplomate's professional career. The ABR is committed to providing an effective infrastructure that will promote and assist the process of continuing professional development including the enhancement of practice quality improvement for radiologic physicists.

Dosimetric differences in flattened and flattening filter-free beam treatment plans.

This study investigated the dosimetric differences in treatment plans from flattened and flattening filter-free (FFF) beams from the TrueBeam System. A total of 104 treatment plans with static (sliding window) intensity-modulated radiotherapy beams and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) beams were generated for 15 patients involving three cancer sites. In general, the FFF beam provides similar target coverage as the flattened beam with improved dose sparing to organ-at-risk (OAR). Among all three cancer sites, the head and neck showed more important differences between the flattened beam and FFF beam. The maximum reduction of the FFF beam in the mean dose reached up to 2.82 Gy for larynx in head and neck case. Compared to the 6 MV flattened beam, the 10 MV FFF beam provided improved dose sparing to certain OARs, especially for VMAT cases. Thus, 10 MV FFF beam could be used to improve the treatment plan.

The American Board of Radiology Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program in Radiologic Physics.

Maintenance of Certification (MOC) recognizes that in addition to medical knowledge, several essential elements involved in delivering quality care must be developed and maintained throughout one's career. The MOC process is designed to facilitate and document the professional development of each diplomate of The American Board of Radiology (ABR) through its focus on the essential elements of quality care in Diagnostic Radiology and its subspecialties, and in the specialties of Radiation Oncology and Radiologic Physics. The initial elements of the ABR-MOC have been developed in accord with guidelines of The American Board of Medical Specialties. All diplomates with a ten-year, time-limited primary certificate in Diagnostic Radiologic Physics, Therapeutic Radiologic Physics, or Medical Nuclear Physics who wish to maintain certification must successfully complete the requirements of the appropriate ABR-MOC program for their specialty. Holders of multiple certificates must meet ABR-MOC requirements specific to the certificates held. Diplomates with lifelong certificates are not required to participate in the MOC, but are strongly encouraged to do so. MOC is based on documentation of individual participation in the four components of MOC: (1) professional standing, (2) lifelong learning and self-assessment, (3) cognitive expertise, and (4) performance in practice. Within these components, MOC addresses six competencies: medical knowledge, patient care, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, practice-based learning and improvement, and systems-based practice.

Imaging dose management using multi-resolution in CT-guided radiation therapy.

In image-guided radiation therapy, megavoltage computerized tomography (MVCT) delivers higher dose to the patient for lower image quality than diagnostic kilovoltage CT (kVCT). One way to reduce the mean imaging dose is to reduce the imaging volume, which is often sufficient for registration and dosimetry purposes. The filtered back projection using truncated data causes artefacts that degrade the image quality. Those artefacts can be effectively reduced by wavelet-based multi-resolution analysis (WMRA), in which the detail and approximate information are reconstructed separately to bypass the non-locality of filtered back projection. In this study, WMRA was used to reconstruct local images from both very low-dose kVCT scans from a bench-top tomotherapy unit and MVCT scans from helical tomotherapy. Results show that mean imaging dose can be significantly reduced by imaging a small region of interest. In simulation, the root-mean-square error brought by the truncation is smaller than 1-2% and depends on the level of dose reduction. On the other hand, the same mean dose that would have been delivered by a low-quality global CT can be conformed to a smaller volume to improve the visibility of low-contrast organs and fine structures using WMRA. Organs at risk can be avoided during repeated daily CT imaging when irregular-shaped reconstruction areas are used. WMRA does not involve computationally expensive iterations and is suitable for image-guided radiation therapy where imaging speed is essential. Compared with extrapolation methods, errors are further reduced to improve the detection of low contrast and fine structures.

Technical note: A novel boundary condition using contact elements for finite element based deformable image registration.

Deformable image registration is an important tool for image-guided radiotherapy. Physics-model-based deformable image registration using finite element analysis is one of the methods currently being investigated. The calculation accuracy of finite element analysis is dependent on given boundary conditions, which are usually based on the surface matching of the organ in two images. Such a surface matching, however, is hard to obtain from medical images. In this study, we developed a new boundary condition to circumvent the traditional difficulties. Finite element contact-impact analysis was employed to simulate the interaction between the organ of interest and the surrounding body. The displacement loading is not necessarily specified. The algorithm automatically deforms the organ model into the minimum internal energy state. The analysis was performed on CT images of the lung at two different breathing phases (exhalation and full inhalation). The result gave the displacement vector map inside the lung. Validation of the result showed satisfactory agreement in most parts of the lung. This approach is simple, operator independent and may provide improved accuracy of the prediction of organ deformation.

IMRT delivery verification using a spiral phantom.

In this paper we report on the testing and verification of a system for IMRT delivery quality assurance that uses a cylindrical solid water phantom with a spiral trajectory for radiographic film placement. This spiral film technique provides more complete dosimetric verification of the entire IMRT treatment than perpendicular film methods, since it samples a three-dimensional dose subspace rather than using measurements at only one or two depths. As an example, the complete analysis of the predicted and measured spiral films is described for an intracranial IMRT treatment case. The results of this analysis are compared to those of a single field perpendicular film technique that is typically used for IMRT QA. The comparison demonstrates that both methods result in a dosimetric error within a clinical tolerance of 5%, however the spiral phantom QA technique provides a more complete dosimetric verification while being less time consuming. To independently verify the dosimetry obtained with the spiral film, the same IMRT treatment was delivered to a similar phantom in which LiF thermoluminescent dosimeters were arranged along the spiral trajectory. The maximum difference between the predicted and measured TLD data for the 1.8 Gy fraction was 0.06 Gy for a TLD located in a high dose gradient region. This further validates the ability of the spiral phantom QA process to accurately verify delivery of an IMRT plan.

Anatomic variation of prescription points and treatment volume with fractionated high-dose rate gynecological brachytherapy.

The purpose of this report is to evaluate the geometric movement (relative to the bony pelvis) and dose variation of brachytherapy reference points in the same patient at repeated high-dose rate (HDR) intracavitary implants. A study was also concluded to find the variation in treatment volume from repeated fractions. Twenty-five consecutive cervical cancer patients (all stages) treated with external beam and fractionated HDR intracavitary implants at the University of Wisconsin were reviewed. Each brachytherapy insertion had a different plan generated prior to treatment delivery. ICRU #38 prescription points (A, B, P, bladder, and rectum) were used. Dose volume histogram was generated and treated volume to the prescription dose was recorded for each fraction. Motion analysis of the various points (from a common origin) in subsequent fractions relative to the first fraction revealed a shift of 2-9 mm in a single plane. Vector analysis revealed the magnitude of the average shift ranged from 10-13 mm. These shifts resulted in a dose difference of >20% for the bladder and rectum points, but < than 8% for the other points. Dose volume histograms revealed that with the change in the anatomy of the cervix and upper vagina during a patient's course of treatment, the treatment volume changes considerably. Thirty-six percent of all patients (9/16) had a reduction in the size of the ovoid during the treatment course. Sixty percent of all patients (15/25) had volume changes <10%. Sixty-two and one half percent of patients (10/16) who did not undergo a reduction of avoid size during the entire course of the treatment had volume change <10%. Since there is a change in the anatomy of the cervix and upper vagina during the course of a treatment along with the irreproducibility of the packing, there is movement of the absolute position of the prescription points between fractions, thus emphasizing the importance of individual dosimetry. Moreover, due to the same reasons, there are significant changes in the treatment volume among implants for the same patient. Volume reduction caused by reduction in ovoid size alone could not be extracted from this study.

A dose homogeneity and conformity evaluation between ViewRay and pinnacle-based linear accelerator IMRT treatment plans.

ViewRay, a novel technology providing soft-tissue imaging during radiotherapy is investigated for treatment planning capabilities assessing treatment plan dose homogeneity and conformity compared with linear accelerator plans. ViewRay offers both adaptive radiotherapy and image guidance. The combination of cobalt-60 (Co-60) with 0.35 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows for magnetic resonance (MR)-guided intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) delivery with multiple beams. This study investigated head and neck, lung, and prostate treatment plans to understand what is possible on ViewRay to narrow focus toward sites with optimal dosimetry. The goal is not to provide a rigorous assessment of planning capabilities, but rather a first order demonstration of ViewRay planning abilities. Images, structure sets, points, and dose from treatment plans created in Pinnacle for patients in our clinic were imported into ViewRay. The same objectives were used to assess plan quality and all critical structures were treated as similarly as possible. Homogeneity index (HI), conformity index (CI), and volume receiving <20% of prescription dose (DRx) were calculated to assess the plans. The 95% confidence intervals were recorded for all measurements and presented with the associated bars in graphs. The homogeneity index (D5/D95) had a 1-5% inhomogeneity increase for head and neck, 3-8% for lung, and 4-16% for prostate. CI revealed a modest conformity increase for lung. The volume receiving 20% of the prescription dose increased 2-8% for head and neck and up to 4% for lung and prostate. Overall, for head and neck Co-60 ViewRay treatments planned with its Monte Carlo treatment planning software were comparable with 6 MV plans computed with convolution superposition algorithm on Pinnacle treatment planning system.

Rapid Automated Target Segmentation and Tracking on 4D Data without Initial Contours.

Purpose. To achieve rapid automated delineation of gross target volume (GTV) and to quantify changes in volume/position of the target for radiotherapy planning using four-dimensional (4D) CT. Methods and Materials. Novel morphological processing and successive localization (MPSL) algorithms were designed and implemented for achieving autosegmentation. Contours automatically generated using MPSL method were compared with contours generated using state-of-the-art deformable registration methods (using Elastix© and MIMVista software). Metrics such as the Dice similarity coefficient, sensitivity, and positive predictive value (PPV) were analyzed. The target motion tracked using the centroid of the GTV estimated using MPSL method was compared with motion tracked using deformable registration methods. Results. MPSL algorithm segmented the GTV in 4DCT images in 27.0 ± 11.1 seconds per phase (512 × 512 resolution) as compared to 142.3 ± 11.3 seconds per phase for deformable registration based methods in 9 cases. Dice coefficients between MPSL generated GTV contours and manual contours (considered as ground-truth) were 0.865 ± 0.037. In comparison, the Dice coefficients between ground-truth and contours generated using deformable registration based methods were 0.909 ± 0.051. Conclusions. The MPSL method achieved similar segmentation accuracy as compared to state-of-the-art deformable registration based segmentation methods, but with significant reduction in time required for GTV segmentation.

Dosimetric comparison of photon and proton treatment techniques for chondrosarcoma of thoracic spine.

Chondrosarcomas are relatively radiotherapy resistant, and also delivering high radiation doses is not feasible owing to anatomic constraints. In this study, the feasibility of helical tomotherapy for treatment of chondrosarcoma of thoracic spine is explored and compared with other available photon and proton radiotherapy techniques in the clinical setting. A patient was treated for high-grade chondrosarcoma of the thoracic spine using tomotherapy. Retrospectively, the tomotherapy plan was compared with intensity-modulated radiation therapy, dynamic arc photon therapy, and proton therapy. Two primary comparisons were made: (1) comparison of normal tissue sparing with comparable target volume coverage (plan-1), and (2) comparison of target volume coverage with a constrained maximum dose to the cord center (plan-2). With constrained target volume coverage, proton plans were found to yield lower mean doses for all organs at risk (spinal cord, esophagus, heart, and both lungs). Tomotherapy planning resulted in the lowest mean dose to all organs at risk amongst photon-based methods. For cord dose constrained plans, the static-field intensity-modulated radiation therapy and dynamic arc plans resulted target underdosing in 20% and 12% of planning target volume2 volumes, respectively, whereas both proton and tomotherapy plans provided clinically acceptable target volume coverage with no portion of planning target volume2 receiving less than 90% of the prescribed dose. Tomotherapy plans are comparable to proton plans and produce superior results compared with other photon modalities. This feasibility study suggests that tomotherapy is an attractive alternative to proton radiotherapy for delivering high doses to lesions in the thoracic spine.

Adaptive planning using megavoltage fan-beam CT for radiation therapy with testicular shielding.

This study highlights the use of adaptive planning to accommodate testicular shielding in helical tomotherapy for malignancies of the proximal thigh. Two cases of young men with large soft tissue sarcomas of the proximal thigh are presented. After multidisciplinary evaluation, preoperative radiation therapy was recommended. Both patients were referred for sperm banking and lead shields were used to minimize testicular dose during radiation therapy. To minimize imaging artifacts, kilovoltage CT (kVCT) treatment planning was conducted without shielding. Generous hypothetical contours were generated on each "planning scan" to estimate the location of the lead shield and generate a directionally blocked helical tomotherapy plan. To ensure the accuracy of each plan, megavoltage fan-beam CT (MVCT) scans were obtained at the first treatment and adaptive planning was performed to account for lead shield placement. Two important regions of interest in these cases were femurs and femoral heads. During adaptive planning for the first patient, it was observed that the virtual lead shield contour on kVCT planning images was significantly larger than the actual lead shield used for treatment. However, for the second patient, it was noted that the size of the virtual lead shield contoured on the kVCT image was significantly smaller than the actual shield size. Thus, new adaptive plans based on MVCT images were generated and used for treatment. The planning target volume was underdosed up to 2% and had higher maximum doses without adaptive planning. In conclusion, the treatment of the upper thigh, particularly in young men, presents several clinical challenges, including preservation of gonadal function. In such circumstances, adaptive planning using MVCT can ensure accurate dose delivery even in the presence of high-density testicular shields.

Feasibility study on effect and stability of adaptive radiotherapy on kilovoltage cone beam CT.

BACKGROUND: We have analyzed the stability of CT to density curve of kilovoltage cone-beam computerized tomography (kV CBCT) imaging modality over the period of six months. We also, investigated the viability of using image value to density table (IVDT) generated at different time, for adaptive radiotherapy treatment planning. The consequences of target volume change and the efficacy of kV CBCT for adaptive planning issues is investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS.: Standard electron density phantom was used to establish CT to electron density calibrations curve. The CT to density curve for the CBCT images were observed for the period of six months. The kV CBCT scans used for adaptive planning was acquired with an on-board imager system mounted on a "Trilogy" linear accelerator. kV CBCT images were acquired for daily setup registration. The effect of variations in CT to density curve was studied on two clinical cases: prostate and lung. RESULTS: The soft tissue contouring is superior in kV CBCT scans in comparison to mega voltage CT (MVCT) scans. The CT to density curve for the CBCT images was found steady over six months. Due to difficulty in attaining the reproducibility in daily setup for the prostate treatment, there is a day-to-day difference in dose to the rectum and bladder. CONCLUSIONS: There is no need for generating a new CT to density curve for the adaptive planning on the kV CBCT images. Also, it is viable to perform the adaptive planning to check the dose to target and organ at risk (OAR) without performing a new kV CT scan, which will reduce the dose to the patient.

Dosimetric comparison of left-sided whole breast irradiation with 3DCRT, forward-planned IMRT, inverse-planned IMRT, helical tomotherapy, and topotherapy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To compare left-sided whole breast conventional and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) treatment planning techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Treatment plans were created for 10 consecutive patients. Three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT), forward-planned IMRT (for-IMRT), and inverse-planned IMRT (inv-IMRT) used two tangent beams. For-IMRT utilized up to four segments per beam. For helical tomotherapy (HT) plans, beamlet entrance and/or exit to critical structures was blocked. Topotherapy plans, which used static gantry angles with simultaneous couch translation and inverse-planned intensity modulation, used two tangent beams. Plans were normalized to 50Gy to 95% of the retracted PTV. RESULTS: Target max doses were reduced with for-IMRT compared to 3DCRT, which were further reduced with HT, topotherapy, and inv-IMRT. HT resulted in lowest heart and ipsilateral lung max doses, but had higher mean doses. Inv-IMRT and topotherapy reduced ipsilateral lung mean and max doses compared to 3DCRT and for-IMRT. CONCLUSIONS: All modalities evaluated provide adequate coverage of the intact breast. HT, topotherapy, and inv-IMRT can reduce high doses to the target and normal tissues, although HT results in increased low doses to large volume of normal tissue. For-IMRT improves target homogeneity compared with 3DCRT, but to a lesser degree than the inverse-planned modalities.

A comprehensive assessment by tumor site of patient setup using daily MVCT imaging from more than 3,800 helical tomotherapy treatments.

PURPOSE: To assess patient setup corrections based on daily megavoltage CT (MVCT) imaging for four anatomic treatment sites treated on tomotherapy. METHOD AND MATERIALS: Translational and rotational setup corrections, based on registration of daily MVCT to planning CT images, were analyzed for 1,179 brain and head and neck (H&N), 1,414 lung, and 1,274 prostate treatment fractions. Frequencies of three-dimensional vector lengths, overall distributions of setup corrections, and patient-specific distributions of random and systematic setup errors were analyzed. RESULTS: Brain and H&N had lower magnitude positioning corrections and smaller variations in translational setup errors but were comparable in roll rotations. Three-dimensional vector translational shifts of larger magnitudes occurred more frequently for lung and prostate than for brain and H&N treatments, yet this was not observed for roll rotations. The global systematic error for prostate was 4.7 mm in the vertical direction, most likely due to couch sag caused by large couch extension distances. Variations in systematic errors and magnitudes of random translational errors ranged from 1.6 to 2.6 mm for brain and H&N and 3.2 to 7.2 mm for lung and prostate, whereas roll rotational errors ranged from 0.8 degrees to 1.2 degrees for brain and H&N and 0.5 degrees to 1.0 degrees for lung and prostate. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in setup were observed between brain, H&N, lung, and prostate treatments. Patient setup can be improved if daily imaging is performed. This analysis can assess the utilization of daily image guidance and allows for further investigation into improved anatomic site-specific and patient-specific treatments.