Monitoring the Cervical Spine During Radiation Treatment

Abstract: This master thesis investigates the problem of intrafraction motion management; monitoring the movement of a tumour during radiation treatment. It evaluates the existing solutions on the market today, reviews current research on the topic, lists potential concepts and suggests a solution to the problem. The problem has been limited to monitoring of the spine and the cervical spine in particular. The proposed solution consists of a 2D ultrasound-probe, attached to the neck of the patient, that continuously monitors the position and orientation of a cervical vertebrae. To show the potential of the system a program has been developed in Matlab that post-processes ultrasound data of the cervical spine and has been shown to have submillimetre precision in detecting vertebrae movements. The solution meets all the listed requirements and offers a non-invasive, radiation-free, easy-to-use monitoring solution without any extra discomfort to the patient. The thesis is concluded by discussing potential problems and suggests what future actions are needed to develop the concept further.