Development and application of an unconstrained technique for patient positioning in fixed radiation beams.

Appl Radiat Isot

Department of Radiation Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, Shapiro-505, Boston, MA 02215, USA.

Published: November 2004

A flexible technique for positioning patients in fixed orientation radiation fields such as those used in neutron capture therapy (NCT) has been developed. The positioning technique employs reference points marked on the patient in combination with a 3D digitizer to determine the beam entry point and a template fitted to the patient's head is used to determine the proper beam orientation. A coordinate transformation between the CT image data and reference points on the patient determined by a least squares algorithm based on singular value decomposition is used to map the beam entry point from the planning system onto the patient. The technique was validated in a phantom study where the mean error in entry point placement was 1.3 mm. Five glioblastoma multiforme patients have been treated with NCT using this positioning technique.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apradiso.2004.05.050DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

entry point
12
positioning technique
8
reference points
8
beam entry
8
technique
5
development application
4
application unconstrained
4
unconstrained technique
4
patient
4
technique patient
4

Similar Publications

Purpose: Despite group-level improvements in active engagement and related outcomes, significant individual variability in response to early intervention exists. The purpose of this preliminary study was to examine the effects of a group-based Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention (NDBI) on active engagement among a heterogeneous sample of young autistic children in a clinical setting.

Method: Sixty-three autistic children aged 24-60 months ( = 44.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Self-care interventions for legal and safe abortions: lessons learned from a woman-centered approach to sexual and reproductive healthcare in Uruguay.

Lancet Reg Health Am

February 2025

Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research, Including the UNDP-UNFPA-UNICEF-WHO-World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP), World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.

Problem: In the 1990s, almost 40% of maternal deaths in Uruguay were caused by unsafe abortions.

Approach: A harm reduction model implemented in Uruguay, which addressed the risks associated with unsafe abortion practices by promoting and supporting the self-management of medical abortions by women in their homes, encouraged women's autonomy.

Local Setting: Since 2005, an accelerated decrease in maternal mortality has been recorded in Uruguay, coinciding with the implementation of two major actions: a harm reduction approach with active promotion of self-care through self-management of medical abortions; and in 2012, a change in legislation, which made abortion legal within sexual and reproductive health facilities when requested by women up to 12 weeks of pregnancy or later for specific indications.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Primary care offers an entry point into the health care system for adolescents experiencing mental illnesses. This study explored the perceptions of adolescents with an anxiety or mood disorder accessing primary care for mental health services.

Methods: Qualitative interpretive descriptive design was employed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Traditional in-clinic methods of collecting self-reported information are costly, time-consuming, subjective, and often limited in the quality and quantity of observation. However, smartphone-based ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) provide complementary information to in-clinic visits by collecting real-time, frequent, and longitudinal data that are ecologically valid. While these methods are promising, they are often prone to various technical obstacles.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pathogen Binding and Entry: Molecular Interactions with the Insect Gut.

Annu Rev Entomol

January 2025

Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA; email:

The point of entry for the majority of arthropod pathogens and arthropod-vectored pathogens of plant, animal, and human health importance is the arthropod midgut. Pathogen interaction with the midgut therefore represents a primary target for intervention to prevent pathogen infection and transmission. Despite this key role in pathogen invasion, relatively little is known of the specific molecular interactions between pathogens and the surface of the arthropod gut epithelium, with few pathogen receptors having been definitively identified.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!