In order to improve diagnosis and external beam treatment planning, patient images generated from MR, SPECT, PET and CT may be fused or precisely overlaid and aligned by using the MIMTM image display system. This system, which has received FDA clearance, was originally designed and tested by faculty members of the Nuclear Medicine Division of the UH Case Medical Center Department of Radiology.
Used in conjunction with treatment machine-based external markers (fiducial arrays) which were also pioneered at University Hospitals/Case Western Reserve University, these imaged-guided localization methods bring critical support to the IMRT treatment program and has made it possible for our patients to receive the very highest degree of conformal therapy currently available.
The radiation oncologist is now able to define treatment volumes for cancerous tumors not only in relation to anatomical structure, but also with knowledge of the functional state of the tumor and surrounding normal tissue. This information provides them with the ability to target highly active areas of tumor growth with “boost” doses of radiation, potentially leading to increased intervals of tumor regression, tumor eradication and curative outcomes.