A multidisciplinary mModule for oncological documentation within a hospital information system

The follow-up documentation of oncological patients in Germany is inadequate in many cases: it is usually limited to a minimal dataset mandated by the epidemiological tumor registers; it is carried out in a paper-based fashion and rarely in a multi-disciplinary context. Parallel documentation efforts can result in redundant or erroneous data and excess work. The introduction of hospital information systems (HIS) allows the implementation of digital oncological documentation systems integrated in surrounding clinical workflows that can provide access to existing data sources as well as data entry and presentation across departmental boundaries. This concept enables the integration of tumor documentation, quality assurance and process optimization within HIS. Feasibility requirements include a high flexibility and adaptability of the underlying HIS to reach a seamless integration of oncological documentation forms within routine clinical workflows. This paper presents the conceptual design and implementation of a modular oncological documentation system at the Muenster University Hospital that is capable of integrating the documentation requirements of multiple departments within the hospital.     

Use of intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging in tailored temporal lobe surgeries for epilepsy

PURPOSE: We investigated whether intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was able to assess immediately the extent of a tailored temporal lobe resection for epilepsy in comparison to delayed postoperative MRI. The recently proposed concept of an individually tailored procedure, preserving tissue not involved in seizures, leads to a variety of differently shaped resections. METHODS: For intraoperative imaging we used a Magnetom Open 0.2 Tesla scanner. Fifty-eight patients undergoing temporal lobe resections for pharmacoresistant epilepsy were investigated. Half of these were nonlesional. All patients had delayed postoperative follow-up scans, which were compared with the intraoperative, postresection images. RESULTS: In 49 (84%) of 58 cases, intraoperative MRI depicted the resection cavity identical to delayed postoperative studies. Complete resection of the visible lesion was primarily proved in 23 of the 29 cases. In two patients with lesions and in one nonlesional case, the resection was extended after intraoperative imaging, thus increasing the rate of total resections in gliomas from 73 to 87%. In four patients, an extension into eloquent areas did not allow complete removal. In the nonlesional cases (n = 29), the extent of tailored temporal resections also could be exactly documented intraoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative MRI allowed a reliable evaluation of the localization and extent of resection in epilepsy surgery within the operative procedure. Furthermore, it provided the possibility of an image-based correction of an initially incomplete resection, particularly in lesional cases. In the majority of patients, the intraoperative images would have been able to replace delayed postoperative MRI. However, in 16%, there were postoperative changes in the resection volume.     

Der Nutzen von Magnetoenzephalographie und funktioneller Neuronavigation bei der Planung und Operation von Hirntumoren

The role of magnetoencephalography (MEG) in neurology has been established for basic research, epilepsy, and functional brain mapping. The presurgical localization of functionally important brain areas has evolved as an important application of MEG. Both neurologists and neurosurgeons can use this method for decision-making and planning of nonsurgical or surgical treatment in brain tumors. The integration of functional brain mapping data into neuronavigation systems may help to minimize postoperative morbidity. This is especially important in low-grade gliomas, in which a potential benefit of surgery is only achieved when the tumor has been resected completely, whereas neurological deterioration means a substantial loss of quality of life during the survival time. This report addresses the utility of MEG combined with neuronavigation in the treatment of brain tumors adjacent to eloquent brain areas.     

Phase II trial of hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy for brain metastases: results and toxicity.

PURPOSE: To prospectively evaluate efficacy and side effects of hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (hfSRT) for irresectable brain metastases not amenable to radiosurgery (SRS). METHODS AND MATERIALS: From 1/2003 to 2/2005, 51 patients with 72 brain metastases were included in a prospective phase II-trial and accepted for treatment at the dedicated stereotactic radiosurgery system Novalis (BrainLAB, Heimstetten, Germany). In case of planned or prior whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT), hfSRT was to be performed with 5 x 6 Gy, otherwise with 5 x 7 Gy. This dose was prescribed to the 90% isodose line which should cover 100% of the planning target volume (PTV). RESULTS: Rates of complete remission (CR), partial remission (PR), no change (NC) and progressive disease (PD) were 66.7%, 18.1%, 12.5% and 2.8%, respectively, after a median follow-up of 7 months. Median survival was 11 months. Disease-specific survival and survival related to brain metastases were strongly associated with the size of gross tumor volume (GTV), the planning target volume (PTV), Karnofsky Performance Score (KPS) and number of metastases. Side effects, i.e., increase in T2w-signal area, duration of steroid intake and size of new or progressive necrotic centre of metastasis, were dependent on the volume of normal brain irradiated with more than 4 Gy per fraction (V(4Gy)). Significantly more patients with a V(4Gy)> or =23 cc developed radiological signs of side effects from hfSRT. CONCLUSION: Hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy with 5 x 6-7 Gy is an effective and safe treatment for brain metastases not amenable to single high-dose radiosurgery. The normal brain volume receiving >4 Gy per fraction may not exceed 20 cc.     

Dose Escalation in Large Anterior Skull-Base Tumors by Means of IMRT

PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility and tolerance of dose escalation with stereotactic intensity-modulated radiotherapy (sIMRT) for skull-base tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 01/2003 and 12/2004, twelve patients were treated. Nine were exclusively treated at the Novalis site with one planning target volume (PTV) field boost, three were administered boost IMRT treatment (two with each one PTV-shrinking field, one with single PTV) after conventional three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy. This resulted in 23 PTVs with a median volume of 93.63 cm3 (range, 88.58-125.88 cm3). Dose calculation was done by the pencil-beam algorithm. Median total doses of 66.6, 77.4, and 63.9 Gy were prescribed for sIMRT alone, sIMRT after 3-D conformal irradiation of the nasopharynx and cervical lymph nodes with 59.4 Gy, and for reirradiation, respectively. RESULTS: 95% isodose PTV coverage was reached in 86.5% (range, 80-93%). Homogeneity (Dmax/Dref) was 1.11, 1.09, and 1.08. Median total doses to 50% of chiasm, right and left optic nerve were 16.21, 16.82 and 10.23 Gy. 11/12 patients are locally controlled with a median follow-up of 11 months (range, 3-23 months), one has died of pulmonary embolism after cerebrospinal dissemination of retinal adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSION: SIMRT enables dose escalation to tumors located close to critical organs. Inverse planning for micro-multileaf collimator stereotactic irradiation is practicable in the daily routine irradiation program. SIMRT needs special verification and still, the following parameters have to be standardized: IMRT dose specification, dose maxima, length of radiation delivery time.     

Frameless stereotactic brain biopsy procedures using the Stealth Station: indications, accuracy and results

This study presents the results of 57 stereotactic brain biopsies using a frameless neuronavigation system, the Stealth Station. The supratentorial lesions had a mean diameter of 33 mm and a mean distance of 32 mm from the entry point at brain surface. In all cases the stereotactic procedure was planned in the preoperative 3-D magnetic resonance data set. In seven cases additional data for identification of eloquent brain areas was integrated from magnetoencephalography or functional magnetic resonance imaging. During surgery the samples were sent to neuropathological examination and the operation completed after the confirmation of pathological tissue. Using this method, in 56 cases a pathological tissue was obtained and a diagnostic yield of 98% was achieved. In two cases (3.5%) a new neurological deficit remained (hemiparesis and visual field deficit). The mean operation time was 92 minutes including examination of frozen sections. The results of our series demonstrate, that frameless stereotactic systems can also be reliably applied for biopsy of supratentorial lesions larger than 15 mm. Frameless stereotaxy in combination with intraoperative pathological confirmation is a safe and reliable method for stereotactic brain biopsy with a diagnostic yield comparable to frame-based stereotaxy.     

Local and remote visualization techniques for interactive direct volume rendering in neuroradiology.

The increasing capabilities of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and multisection spiral computed tomography (CT) to acquire volumetric data with near-isotropic voxels make three-dimensional (3D) postprocessing a necessity, especially in studies of complex structures like intracranial vessels. Since most modern CT and MR imagers provide limited postprocessing capabilities, 3D visualization with interactive direct volume rendering requires expensive graphics workstations that are not available at many institutions. An approach has been developed that combines fast visualization on a low-cost PC system with high-quality visualization on a high-end graphics workstation that is directly accessed and remotely controlled from the PC environment via the Internet by using a Java client. For comparison of quality, both techniques were applied to several neuroradiologic studies: visualization of structures related to the inner ear, intracranial aneurysms, and the brainstem and surrounding neurovascular structures. The results of pure PC-based visualization were comparable with those of many commercially available volume-rendering systems. In addition, the high-end graphics workstation with 3D texture-mapping capabilities provides visualization results of the highest quality. Combining local and remote 3D visualization allows even small radiologic institutions to achieve low-cost but high-quality 3D visualization of volumetric data.     

Flat-panel detector volumetric CT for visualization of subarachnoid hemorrhage and ventricles: preliminary results compared to conventional CT

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to compare flat-panel volumetric CT (VCT) to conventional CT (cCT) in the visualization of the extent of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and the width of the ventricles in patients with acute SAH. METHODS: Included in the study were 22 patients with an acutely ruptured cerebral aneurysm who received VCT during coil embolization. VCT image quality, the extent of SAH (using a modified Fisher score and total slice number with SAH visible) and the width of the ventricles (Evans index) were evaluated by two experienced neuroradiologists (RAD1 and RAD2) and compared to the findings on cCT. Ten patients undergoing VCT for reasons other than SAH served as negative controls. RESULTS: Interobserver agreement in rating image quality was excellent for cCT (Kendall W value 0.94) and good for VCT (0.74). SAH was identified by RAD1 and RAD2 on VCT images in all patients. The modified Fisher scores underestimated the extent of SAH on VCT images in comparison with cCT images. Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) regarding the number of image slices with SAH visible on cCT images compared with the number on VCT images was 0.85 for RAD1 and 0.84 for RAD2. The r value for the degree of interobserver agreement for the number of slices with SAH visible was 0.99 for cCT, and 0.95 for VCT images (n=19), respectively. The width of the ventricles measured in terms of the Evans Index showed excellent concordance between the modalities (r=0.81 vs. 0.82). CONCLUSION: Our preliminary results indicate that VCT is helpful in evaluating SAH in the angiography suite. Additionally, reliable evaluation of ventricle width is feasible. However, there are limitations with regard to the visibility of SAH on VCT images in comparison to cCT images.