Biomedical subjects
JA Purdy
Publications and source records attributed to JA Purdy.
Integrating the Management of Patient Three-Dimensional Treatment Planning and Image Data.
The management of data for three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D CRT) is a multifaceted enterprise that includes image data transfer and format conversion, the safeguarding and distribution of treatment planning data, and the construction of efficient and secure user environments. Because 3D radiation therapy is so closely tied to computational methods for processing and presenting images, attention to these issues is essential for developing practical systems for 3D CRT.
Evaluating Commercially Available Three-Dimensional Radiotherapy Treatment Planning Systems.
Over the past year we have developed two similar questionnaires on three-dimensional radiotherapy treatment planning (3DRTP) systems and used them to conduct a study of the function and features of commercially available 3DRTP systems. The issues which we reviewed to develop these questionnaires are important to all current and potential users of 3DRTP systems. The items identified in this article should aid readers in developing their own review questionnaire based on the items we discuss as well as their own clinical practice. Because it is not possible to develop a universal questionnaire that will satisfy every clinic because of site-specific treatment techniques and capabilities, this information should aid an institution contemplating the purchase of such a system to develop their own specific set of questions to aid them in their system selection. We believe that a high-level checklist of this nature will prove quite helpful to those institutions preparing to purchase such a system.
Quality Assurance and Safety of New Technologies for Radiation Oncology.
This article reviews suggested recommendations and procedures for quality assurance and safety tests of computer-controlled medical accelerators and the associated high-tech ancillary devices such as asymmetric collimators, dynamic wedge, multileaf collimators, and on-line electronic portal imaging devices for treatment verification, and technologies such as dynamic therapy and beam intensity modulation that are just coming on line. These new technologies are likely to lead to improved therapeutic ratios through the use of conformal physical dose distributions that cannot be achieved using traditional planning, delivery, and verification methods and, at the same time, provide more complete and thorough safety systems. However, these devices are not yet fully developed and thus come with some limitations and an increased potential for patient treatment error. To insure optimum use, a rigorous quality assurance program specifically designed for these technologies must be in place and the radiation oncology team should be constantly vigilant. In addition, provision should be made to provide for increased continuing staff education in the use of these technologies and complementary safety and quality assurance devices such as a record and verify system should be considered essential.
Photon Dose Calculations for Three-Dimensional Radiation Treatment Planning.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.