The effects of intrafraction motion on dose homogeneity in a breast phantom with physical wedges, enhanced dynamic wedges, and ssIMRT

PURPOSE: This study attempts to compare how breathing motion affects intact-breast cancer patients between three different treatment techniques and to determine the degree of improvement on dose homogeneity when implementing gating therapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A breast phantom and respiratory simulator were designed to simulate respiratory motion to a first-order approximation. Film was used as a dosimeter, and static dosimetry data were used as a control for comparison. Three velocities of the breast phantom were studied, and gating therapy was introduced for each data set. Dose area histograms (DAHs) were calculated for a breast and a "lung" planning target area (PTA), and Normalized Agreement Test (NAT) indices were calculated in reference to the static case. RESULTS: Deviations from the static case were highest if the collimator speed was of the same magnitude as the speed of the target. In general, gating therapy improved dose uniformity to the breast PTA by up to 14% and reduced dose to the "lung" PTA by up to 24%. With step-and-shoot intensity-modulated radiation therapy (ssIMRT), gating the beam may compromise dose coverage of the breast PTA if the timing interval of the gate is too large. Gating the beam decreased NAT indices by 9 for physical wedges, by 16 for enhanced dynamic wedges, and by 6 for ssIMRT. CONCLUSIONS: Both the phantom and respiratory simulator are adequate for showing differences in dose distributions for all three treatment modalities. Gating therapy improves dose homogeneity to the PTAs and decreases the dose delivered to areas below the posterior border of the beams.     

Effects of anesthesia on pain after lower-limb amputation

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of epidural, spinal, and general anesthesia on pain after lower-limb amputation. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Postamputation clinic. PATIENTS: 150 patients who were evaluated one to 24 months after their lower-limb amputation. INTERVENTIONS: Patients received epidural, spinal, or general anesthesia for their amputation. MEASUREMENTS: Standardized questions were used to assess stump pain, phantom sensation, or phantom limb pain preoperatively and postoperatively. Pain intensity was assessed on a verbal rating scale of 0 to 10. After the interview, each patient's medical history and anesthetic record were assessed. RESULTS: Patients who had received epidural anesthesia and those who had received spinal anesthesia recalled significantly less pain in the week after their surgery (P < 0.05). After an average of 14 months, there was no difference in stump pain, phantom limb sensation, or phantom limb pain between patients who received epidural anesthesia, those who received spinal anesthesia, and those who received general anesthesia for their amputation. Phantom limb pain continued to be frequent and severe despite patients' use of opioid analgesics, amitriptyline, and gabapentin. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who received epidural anesthesia and those who received spinal anesthesia recalled better analgesia in the first week after their amputation than did patients who received general anesthesia. Anesthetic technique had no effect on stump pain, phantom limb sensation, or phantom limb pain at 14 months after lower-limb amputation.     

Phantom limb sensation

1. Phantom limb pain and sensations are common in amputees. The present paper defines phantom limb pain, stump pain and phantom limb sensation and then gives an overview of the incidence and characteristics of the phenomena. 2. Theories of phantoms are presented, including peripheral, central and supraspinal theories, with particular attention given to Melzack's neuromatrix. 3. Evidence of cortical reorganization following amputation is given and the extent to which cortical reorganization contributes to phantom limb pain is discussed.     

Supernumerary phantom limb as a rare symptom of epileptic seizures--case report and literature review

Supernumerary phantom limbs, that is, the awareness of an illusory extra limb is a fascinating neurologic symptom that has been described in a number of neurologic diseases including stroke, spinal injury, and epilepsy. Herein we report a case of a 70-year-old male patient with new-onset focal seizures with left-sided supernumerary phantom arm and leg as the only seizure manifestation. Ictal single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) revealed a hyperperfusion in the right temporoparietal junction and allowed localization of the seizure-onset zone. This report is accompanied by a discussion of phenomenology and terminology in the context of existing literature.     

Comparison of accuracy and time-efficiency of CT colonography between conventional and panoramic 3D interpretation methods: An anthropomorphic phantom study

Purpose

To retrospectively compare the conventional three-dimensional (3D) interpretation method with the panoramic 3D method with regard to accuracy and time-efficiency in the detection of colonic polyps, using pig colonic phantoms as the standard of reference.

Materials and methods

One-hundred and sixty-two polyps were created in 18 pig colonic phantoms. CT colonography was performed with a 64-row detector CT scanner. Two-week interval reviews for the CTC image dataset with both the conventional and the panoramic 3D interpretation method were independently performed by three radiologists. The sensitivities of both methods were compared with the McNemar test. The mean interpretation time for each interpretation method was also assessed and compared with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.

Results

Compared with the conventional 3D method (0.96 for reader 1, 0.89 for reader 2, and 0.97 for reader 3), the panoramic method revealed comparable sensitivities (0.91 for reader 1, 0.86 for reader 2, and 0.93 for reader 3) (p > 0.05). Interpretation time was significantly shorter with the panoramic method (115.1 ± 32.7 s for reader 1, 229.7 ± 72.2 s for reader 2, and 282.6 ± 113.7 s for reader 3) than with the conventional method (218.9 ± 59.9 s for reader 1, 379.4 ± 117.0 s for reader 2, and 458.7 ± 149.4 s for reader 3) for all readers (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Compared with the conventional 3D interpretation method, the panoramic 3D interpretation method shows improved time-efficiency and comparable sensitivity in the detection of colonic polyps.     

Transmit B1‐field correction at 7T using actively tuned coupled inner elements

When volume coils are used for ¹H imaging of the human head at 7T, wavelength effects in tissue cause a variation in intensity, that is typically brighter at the center of the head and darker in the periphery. Much of this image nonuniformity can be attributed to variation in the effective transmit B₁ field, which falls by ～ 50% to the left and right of center at mid‐elevation in the brain. Because most of this B₁ loss occurs in the periphery of the brain, we have explored use of actively controlled, off‐resonant loop elements to locally enhance the transmit B₁ field in these regions. When tuned to frequencies above the NMR frequency, these elements provide strong local enhancement of the B₁ field of the transmit coil. Because they are tuned off‐resonance, some volume coil detuning results, but resistive loading of the coil mode remains dominated by the sample. By digitally controlling their frequency offsets, the field enhancement of each inner element can be placed under active control. Using an array of eight digitally controlled elements placed around a custom‐built head phantom, we demonstrate the feasibility of improving the B₁ homogeneity of a transmit/receive volume coil without the need for multiple radio frequency transmit channels. Magn Reson Med, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Subendocardial versus transmural ischaemia in myocardial perfusion SPECT--a Monte Carlo study

Myocardial perfusion imaging with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is useful for the evaluation of patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease. Parameters of interest are the reduction in the blood perfusion (severity) and the lesion volume (extent). The aim of this study was to evaluate these parameters, as calculated by automatic quantification software, for different cases of subendocardial and transmural myocardial lesions. METHODS: A computer phantom was used to simulate 32 male patients with different defect locations and activity uptakes, which were based on clinical patient studies. The Monte Carlo program SIMIND was used to simulate realistic SPECT projections which were reconstructed to give short-axis images, analysed by the AutoQUANT program using the same procedure as for a real patient. RESULTS: The results showed a disparity between the quantification of transmural and subendocardial lesions with the same lesion activity uptake reduction and this could be confirmed by visual interpretation. Neither the parameters given by the quantification program nor visual interpretation could distinguish between the transmural lesions and the subendocardial lesions with activity uptake reduction twice as high as in the corresponding transmural lesions. CONCLUSION: Transmural lesions and the corresponding subendocardial lesions with the same activity uptake reduction could be separated by the quantification software for SPECT imaging and visual analysis. The subendocardial lesions with activity uptake reduction twice as high as in the corresponding transmural lesions could not be differentiated neither by the quantification software nor by visual interpretation. Thus these lesions will get the same scoring when analysed by the AutoQUANT program.     

双轴旋转冠脉造影术与常规冠状动脉造影术的临床应用效果及辐射剂量比较

目的：比较双轴旋转冠脉造影(XperSwing)术与常规冠状动脉造影（CCA）术的临床应用效果和辐射剂量,评价2种冠脉造影技术的差异性及临床价值。方法：收集行临床冠脉造影检查患者30例,其中CCA组20例,XperSwing组10例,分析2组患者检查的透视时间、对比剂用量和图像质量评分。应用中国人仿真胸部体模模拟XperSwing技术及CCA检查环境,将热释光个人剂量计（TLD）布放于仿真胸部体模的主要组织器官,测量各组织器官的吸收剂量,计算2种冠脉造影技术的有效剂量。结果：与CCA组比较,XperSwing组患者的对比剂用量减少27.74%（P<0.05）,透视时间和图像质量评分差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）;XperSwing组仿真胸部体模各组织器官平均吸收剂量低于CCA组（P<0.05）;XperSwing组有效剂量（4.94 mSv）低于CCA组（5.57 mSv）。结论：XperSwing　术可满足冠脉造影图像质量要求,并可有效降低冠脉造影的对比剂用量和辐射剂量。
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冠状动脉CT血管成像评价临界狭窄准确性的体模研究

目的 应用冠状动脉体模,评价冠状动脉CT血管成像(computed tomography angiography, CTA)显示冠状动脉临界狭窄的准确性。方法 应用搏动性心脏体模,其表面装置塑料管模拟冠状动脉。模拟冠状动脉管径分别为4 mm和3 mm,狭窄分别设置为40%、45%、55%和60%,斑块密度分别为800 Hu和20 Hu模拟钙化斑块和软斑块。体模心率设定为55 次/分。模拟冠状动脉腔内造影剂浓度设定为350Hu。扫描参数为:120 kV,550 mA,旋转速度每周0.35 s,pitch为0.2。基于模拟动脉的长轴位图像,对狭窄率进行测定并与实际值进行比较,同时对不同管径和斑块的密度情况下测定的狭窄率进行比较分析。结果 在管径为4 mm的血管,狭窄程度均被高估,而无论其斑块密度和本身狭窄程度,即使40%狭窄也会被高估为50%以上。钙化斑块的测定狭窄程度显著高于软斑块(P<0.05)。在3 mm血管,钙化斑块所致狭窄只有40%狭窄可以测定,并被显著高估。软斑块所致狭窄也被高估。结论 在临界狭窄的评价中,CTA趋于高估狭窄,而无论斑块成分,从而导致冠心病的过诊断。钙化会扩大高估的程度并可能使狭窄的评价难以进行。     

Pharmacological interventions for phantom limb pain

Objective To review the mechanisms and current clinical application of pharmacological interventions for phantom limb pain.Data sources Both Chinese and English language literatures were searched using...