Multi-criterial patient positioning based on dose recalculation on scatter-corrected CBCT images.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Our aim was to evaluate the feasibility and potential advantages of dose guided patient positioning based on dose recalculation on scatter corrected cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) image data.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A scatter correction approach has been employed to enable dose calculations on CBCT images. A recently proposed tool for interactive multicriterial dose-guided patient positioning which uses interpolation between pre-calculated sample doses has been utilized. The workflow was retrospectively evaluated for two head and neck patients with a total of 39 CBCTs. Dose-volume histogram (DVH) parameters were compared to rigid image registration based isocenter corrections (clinical scenario).

RESULTS: The accuracy of the dose interpolation was found sufficient, facilitating the implementation of dose guided patient positioning. Compared to the clinical scenario, the mean dose to the parotid glands could be improved for 2 out of 5 fractions for the first patient while other parameters were preserved. For the second patient, the mean coverage over all fractions of the high dose PTV could be improved by 4%. For this patient, coverage improvements had to be traded against organ at risk (OAR) doses within their clinical tolerance limits.

CONCLUSIONS: Dose guided patient positioning using in-room CBCT data is feasible and offers increased control over target coverage and doses to OARs.