Dosimetric Effect of Truncation on Palliative Patients

Current practice has VMAT palliative spinal patients simulated with arms tight by sides and an additional requirement of obtaining the patient ’s full external contour on the planning CT. Truncation may occur due to the size of the CT bore and patient habitus, leaving the planner unable to calculate dose delivered through arms and eliminating VMAT as a treatment planning option. The purpose of this study was to assess whether significant dosimetric changes in target volume and organs at risk were observed in palliative spinal patients exhibiting simulated truncation.

Source: Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences - August 31, 2020 Category: Radiology Authors: Chelsea Testa, Joanna Javor Source Type: research