Motion tracking and compensation techniques for medical imaging and therapeutic procedures

本提案的目的是发展和实现运动跟踪和补偿技术的医学成像和治疗程序。该技术将基于我们小组正在开发的两项技术：基于正电子发射的实时跟踪（PeTrack）和动态双能x射线成像。研究将在以下领域进行：a.放射治疗。PeTrack可以对正常组织进行低剂量的实时肿瘤跟踪。它将提高精确呼吸门控放射治疗、肿瘤追踪放射治疗和机器人运动补偿放射手术的可行性。直径为0.8 mm ~ 0.5 mm的正电子发射标记的植入将比现有较大的标记的植入更容易。与4D CT相比，动态双能成像可用于肺肿瘤运动前治疗评估，其剂量要低得多。b.介入程序。其他手术，如活检、射频消融、导管插入术等，需要准确定位仪器。PeTrack作为一种新颖的跟踪技术，具有灵活、无线和使用微型标记的优点。它可以克服当前定位技术的一些局限性。c.正电子发射断层扫描（PET）的运动补偿。由于PET成像时间长，患者的呼吸运动等运动受到影响。利用PeTrack提供的准确的患者运动信息，可以开发新的重建技术来补偿运动和消除运动伪影。d.肺功能影像学。动态双能成像也有潜力用于肺功能成像，如局部通气和肺动力学研究。

The objective of this proposal is to develop and implement motion tracking and compensation techniques for medical imaging and therapeutic procedures. The techniques will be based on two technologies under developing by our group: positron emission based real-time tracking (PeTrack) and dynamic dual-energy x-ray imaging. The research will be carried out in the following areas: a. Radiation therapy. PeTrack can provide real-time tumour tracking with very low dose to normal tissue. It will improve the feasibility of precise respiration gated radiation therapy, tumour tracked radiation therapy , and robotic motion compensated radiosurgery. The implantation of positron emission markers, whose diameters are 0.8 mm - 0.5 mm, will be easier than the implantation of larger existing markers. Dynamic Dual-Energy Imaging can be used for lung tumour motion pre-treatment assessment at a much lower dose compared to 4D CT. b. Interventional procedures. Other procedures, such as biopsy, radiofrequency ablation, catheterization, etc, require accurate positioning of the instruments. PeTrack, as a novel tracking technique, has the advantages of being flexible, wireless and using miniature markers. It can overcome some of the limitations of current positioning techniques. c. Motion compensation for Positron Emission tomography(PET). Due to its long imaging time, PET imaging suffers from patient motion such as respiratory motion. With the accurate patient motion information provided by PeTrack, new reconstruction techniques can be developed to compensate the motion and eliminate motion artifacts. d. Functional imaging of lung. Dynamic Dual-Energy Imaging also has the potential for lung function imaging such as regional ventilation and lung kinetic study.