Performance of an ultrasound probe prototype for motion management in radiotherapy

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In this project, we will develop a new technique combining ultrasound and X-ray imaging to track anatomy in real time during radiotherapy treatments. The study will be mainly focused on applications to 4D lung radiotherapy where correlation models are required to overcome the loss of ultrasound information in the presence of tissue-air interfaces. This joint effort takes place in collaboration between academia and the industry. A prototype of ultrasound imaging probe will be combined to an existing technology based on X-ray imaging which allows tracking anatomy in real time. Specialized algorithms will be developed to enable the integration of the ultrasound technology to this type of image-guided radiotherapy. Advanced tools will be developed to evaluate the performance of these algorithms in the context of radiation dose delivery. A prototype of mannequin allowing simulating the human respiratory motion and a model of the treatment machine will be built to enable predicting dose distributions received by the mannequin. This tool will be used as a mean of evaluation for the absolute performance of the technique and enable the development of a predictive model on the precision of tumour tracking in a clinical environment.