WE-G-18A-07: Clinical Evaluation of Normalized Metal Artifact Reduction in KVCT Using MVCT Prior Images (MVCT-NMAR) Technique in Radiotherapy

Journal Article · Sun Jun 15 04:00:00 EDT 2014 · Medical Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1118/1.4889518· OSTI ID:22409773

Paudel, M ^[1]; MacKenzie, M; Fallone, B; Rathee, S ^[1]

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1. University of Alberta, Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, AB (Canada)

Purpose: To evaluate the metal artifacts in diagnostic kVCT images of patients that are corrected using a normalized metal artifact reduction method with MVCT prior images, MVCT-NMAR. Methods: An MVCTNMAR algorithm was developed and applied to five patients: three with bilateral hip prostheses, one with unilateral hip prosthesis and one with dental fillings. The corrected images were evaluated for visualization of tissue structures and their interfaces, and for radiotherapy dose calculations. They were also compared against the corresponding images corrected by a commercial metal artifact reduction technique, O-MAR, on a Phillips™ CT scanner. Results: The use of MVCT images for correcting kVCT images in the MVCT-NMAR technique greatly reduces metal artifacts, avoids secondary artifacts, and makes patient images more useful for correct dose calculation in radiotherapy. These improvements are significant over the commercial correction method, provided the MVCT and kVCT images are correctly registered. The remaining and the secondary artifacts (soft tissue blurring, eroded bones, false bones or air pockets, CT number cupping within the metal) present in O-MAR corrected images are removed in the MVCT-NMAR corrected images. Large dose reduction is possible outside the planning target volume (e.g., 59.2 Gy in comparison to 52.5 Gy in pubic bone) when these MVCT-NMAR corrected images are used in TomoTherapy™ treatment plans, as the corrected images no longer require directional blocks for prostate plans in order to avoid the image artifact regions. Conclusion: The use of MVCT-NMAR corrected images in radiotherapy treatment planning could improve the treatment plan quality for cancer patients with metallic implants. Moti Raj Paudel is supported by the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, the Endowed Graduate Scholarship in Oncology and the Dissertation Fellowship at the University of Alberta. The authors acknowledge the CIHR operating grant number MOP 53254.

• OSTI ID: 22409773
• Journal Information: Medical Physics, Journal Name: Medical Physics Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 41; ISSN 0094-2405; ISSN MPHYA6
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
ALGORITHMS
COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY
CORRECTIONS
IMAGE PROCESSING
METALS
NEOPLASMS
PLANNING
PROSTATE
PROSTHESES
RADIOTHERAPY