The purpose of this study was to evaluate patient setup in head and neck IMRT using daily portal imaging. At our institution, orthogonal digital portal images are taken daily to check patient positioning prior to head and neck IMRT treatment. Isocenter misalignments are corrected using a couch shift (3mm action level). Therapists also compare the DRRs and portal images looking at points more di...

Midodrine prevents post-space flight orthostatic intolerance when testing is conducted in a controlled laboratory setting within 2-4 hours after Space Shuttle landing. It is unknown if midodrine is as effective during re-entry and immediately following landing. METHODS: Cardiovascular responses to 10 minutes of 80° head-up tilt in five male astronauts were compared before and immediately after ...

PURPOSE To report on preliminary results of a prospective study on MRI-assisted cervix cancer brachytherapy pre-planning. MATERIAL AND METHODS In six locally advanced cervix cancer patients, five days before the first brachytherapy fraction, tandem & ring applicator was inserted under para-cervical anaesthesia, MRI performed and applicator removed. Procedure-time and patient-tolerability were...

BACKGROUND FLAIR and T2 weighted MRIs are used based on institutional preference to delineate high grade gliomas and surrounding edema for radiation treatment planning. Although these sequences have inherent physical differences there is limited data on the clinical and dosimetric impact of using either or both sequences. METHODS 40 patients with high grade gliomas consecutively treated betwe...

The purpose of this study was to compare dosimetric parameters of treatment plans among four techniques for preoperative single-fraction partial breast radiotherapy in order to select an optimal treatment technique. The techniques evaluated were noncoplanar 3D conformal radiation therapy (3D CRT), noncoplanar intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRTNC), coplanar IMRT (IMRTCO), and volumetric...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to comprehensively compare the 3-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided and conventional 2-dimensional (2D) point A-based intracavitary brachytherapy (BT) planning for cervical cancer with regard to target dose coverage and dosages to adjacent organs-at risk (OARs). METHODS A total of 79 patients with cervical cancer were enrolled to r...

In order to achive best results in radiotherapeutic treatment of tumor tissue, one needs to precisely reconstruct the setup defined in therapy planning before the treatment can start. Inaccuracies in either defining the treatment parameters or transferring positioning markers to the patient’s body, errors in treatment device setup or patient motion during the treatment result in a displacement ...