Cranial stereotactic multiple arc radiotherapy; treatment planning using angiographic images.
Stereotactic multiple arc radiotherapy (SMART) is an irradiation technique developed to treat small intracranial lesions. Calculation of absorbed-dose patterns for this treatment has traditionally involved complex computer programs incorporating algorithms designed to reconstruct the shape of the patient's head from computerized tomography (CT) images. A large proportion of the patients treated with SMART, however, have arteriovenous malformations for which angiography provides a better idea of lesion size and position than CT. This paper describes a computer program developed at St Bartholomew's Hospital which enables calculation of absorbed dose for a SMART treatment directly from angiographic radiographs, avoiding the need for CT. The program is compared with the existing CT-based treatment planning program.
Thomson
E S
ES
Radiation Physics Department, St Bartholomew's Hospital, London.
Clegg
P
P
D000792:Angiography; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D011882:Radiotherapy, High-Energy; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed