A new respiratory monitor system for four-dimensional computed tomography by measuring the pressure change on the back of body.

Objective: A novel respiratory monitoring method based on the periodical pressure change on the patient's back was proposed and assessed by applying to four-dimensional CT (4DCT) scanning.

Methods: A pressure-based respiratory monitoring system is developed and validated by comparing to real-time position management (RPM) system. The pressure change and the RPM signal are compared with phase differences and correlations calculated. The 4DCT images are reconstructed by these two signals. Internal and skin artifacts due to mismatch between CT slices and respiratory phases are evaluated.

Results: The pressure and RPM signals shows strong consistency ( = 0.68±0.19 (1SD)). The time shift is 0.26 ± 0.51 (1SD) s and the difference of breath cycle is 0.02 ± 0.17 (1SD) s. The quality of 4DCT images reconstructed by two signals is similar. For both methods, the number of patients with artifacts is eight and the maximum magnitudes of artifacts are 20 mm (internal) and 10 mm (skin). The average magnitudes are 8.8 mm (pressure) and 8.2 mm (RPM) for internal artifacts, and 5.2 mm (pressure) and 4.6 mm (RPM) for skin artifacts. The mean square gray value difference shows no significant difference ( = 0.52).

Conclusion: The pressure signal provides qualified results for respiratory monitoring in 4DCT scanning, demonstrating its potential application for respiration monitoring in radiotherapy.

Advances In Knowledge: Pressure change on the back of body is a novel and promising method to monitor respiration in radiotherapy, which may improve treatment comfort and provide more information about respiration and body movement.