Health Imaging & IT - May 2008 - (Page 68)

inside TeChnology By Lisa Fratt IGRT, Cone-beam CT Fine tune cancer treatment Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) coupled with on-board conebeam CT are delivering dramatic improvements in the radiation therapy process. By carefully pairing images and treatment, IGRT and conebeam CT allow radiation oncologists to increase the dose, spare more normal tissue, and ultimately, improve patient outcomes. Take for example Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Mich. The system is heavily invested in radiation therapy and treats more than 200 patients daily at five sites. “Henry Ford Health System is very active in the latest technology and treatment including stereotactic radiosurgery and intensitymodulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with millimeter accuracy. IGRT is essential to our success,” shares Ben Movsas, MD, chair, department of radiation oncology. Others share Movsas’ enthusiasm for IGRT. “IGRT is becoming the standard of care,” says Carol Nass, chief radiation therapist at The William Backus Hospital in Norwich, Conn. One of the latest developments in IGRT is on-board cone-beam CT, and sites are turning to the technology to provide improved patient care. boosting accuracy Henry Ford Health System is equipped with two Varian Medical Systems Trilogy Tx, an image-guided radiosurgery system with plans to deploy a third system and a BrainLAB Novalis Tx Adaptive Gating system (developed in partnership with Varian) later this year. Each system incorporates onboard cone-beam CT. Although IGRT can use CT, ultrasound or radiography and fiducial markers for image guidance, Movsas says cone-beam CT carries a number of advantages. “Cone-beam CT allows non-invasive image guidance of any site in the body. Placing a fiducial marker in the lung, on the other hand, could complicate the patient’s condition by causing a pneumothorax. Not all organs can be imaged well with ultrasound.” Unlike KV x-ray, CT provides tumor volume data and detailed anatomical information. IGRT improves on conventional radiation therapy planning, which acquires a simulation CT days prior to treatment. “We know structures move. On-board cone-beam CT provides the extra accuracy to verify that the radiation beam is on target,” says Movsas. Movsas explains that a key advantage of the on-board cone-beam CT scan is that it enables comparison with the initial planHealthImaging.com [ Image-based three-dimensional correction in prostate. Photo courtesy of Elekta. ] 68 Health Imaging & IT | May 2008 http://HealthImaging.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Health Imaging & IT - May 2008

Health Imaging & IT - May 2008 Contents On the Web The Enterprise News Update Convention Spotlight: SIIM 2008 Healthcare IT Salary Survey Survey Findings Inside the Transition to Next-Generation Image Management Blurring the Lines: Interfaced vs. Integrated RIS/PACS The Insider's Primer: Taming the Workflow Beast - Five Facilities Tell How Availability, Applications Drive New Archive Strategies Modality Review Managing Technology Inside Technology Reader's Resource Stat Sheet

Health Imaging & IT - May 2008

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