Quantitative Ultrasonic Nakagami Imaging of Neck Fibrosis After Head and Neck Radiation Therapy

Journal Article · Mon Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 2015 · International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJROBP.2015.01.006· OSTI ID:22458735

Yang, Xiaofeng ^[1]; Yoshida, Emi ^[2]; Cassidy, Richard J.; Beitler, Jonathan J.; Yu, David S.; Curran, Walter J. ^[1]; Liu, Tian ^[1]

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1. Department of Radiation Oncology and Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (United States)
2. Department of Radiation Oncology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California (United States)

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of ultrasound Nakagami imaging to quantitatively assess radiation-induced neck fibrosis, a common sequela of radiation therapy (RT) to the head and neck. Methods and Materials: In a pilot study, 40 study participants were enrolled and classified into 3 subgroups: (1) a control group of 12 healthy volunteers; (2) an asymptomatic group of 11 patients who had received intensity modulated RT for head and neck cancer and had experienced no neck fibrosis; and (3) a symptomatic group of 17 post-RT patients with neck fibrosis. Each study participant underwent 1 ultrasound study in which scans were performed in the longitudinal orientation of the bilateral neck. Three Nakagami parameters were calculated to quantify radiation-induced tissue injury: Nakagami probability distribution function, shape, and scaling parameters. Physician-based assessments of the neck fibrosis were performed according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group late morbidity scoring scheme, and patient-based fibrosis assessments were rated based on symptoms such as pain and stiffness. Results: Major discrepancies existed between physician-based and patient-based assessments of radiation-induced fibrosis. Significant differences in all Nakagami parameters were observed between the control group and 2 post-RT groups. Moreover, significant differences in Nakagami shape and scaling parameters were observed among asymptomatic and symptomatic groups. Compared with the control group, the average Nakagami shape parameter value increased by 32.1% (P<.001), and the average Nakagami scaling parameter increased by 55.7% (P<.001) for the asymptomatic group, whereas the Nakagami shape parameter increased by 74.1% (P<.001) and the Nakagami scaling parameter increased by 83.5% (P<.001) for the symptomatic group. Conclusions: Ultrasonic Nakagami imaging is a potential quantitative tool to characterize radiation-induced asymptomatic and symptomatic neck fibrosis.

• OSTI ID: 22458735
• Journal Information: International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, Journal Name: International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 92; ISSN IOBPD3; ISSN 0360-3016
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
BIOMEDICAL RADIOGRAPHY
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DISEASE INCIDENCE
DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS
FIBROSIS
FLEXIBILITY
HEAD
INJURIES
NECK
NEOPLASMS
PAIN
PATIENTS
RADIOTHERAPY
SCALING
SHAPE