Mm For Rotation Research Articles

Analysis of the effect of motion on highly accelerated 3D FatNavs in 3D brain images acquired at 3T.

3D FatNavs are rapid acquisitions of MRI fat-volumes within the head that can be used for retrospective motion correction for brain MRI. 3D FatNavs typically use very high acceleration factors and are reconstructed with the GRAPPA parallel imaging technique. However, the GRAPPA reconstruction is not expected to perform well on 3D FatNavs volumes in the presence of strong motion due to the mismatched calibration data acquired once at the start of the scan, leading to motion-parameter misestimation. This study aims to assess the accuracy and precision of 3D FatNav-derived motion-estimates in the presence of large changes in head position. Rigid motion parameters were simulated and applied retrospectively to the 3D FatNav volumes from MPRAGE datasets acquired at 3T. The transformed images were then re-reconstructed using GRAPPA to simulate real motion deterioration of the fat-navigator, and used to estimate the motion applied and evaluate the tracking inaccuracy. This information was then used to estimate the residual motion after 3D FatNav-based motion correction and applied to the original MPRAGE volumes. The effect of the misestimation was assessed using an image quality metric and the evaluation scores from two observers. Quality boundaries were then estimated to assess the motion tolerance when 3D FatNavs are used. The GRAPPA reconstruction was shown to deteriorate for large changes in the head position, affecting the quality of 3D FatNav volumes and consequently degrading the accuracy of the motion-estimates. Based on our simulations, the estimated threshold of motion that led to a noticeable degradation in the MPRAGE image quality was up to RMS values of 3.7° and 3 mm for rotations and translations respectively. 3D FatNavs were shown to be able to correct for a wide range of motion levels and types. Boundaries of acceptable motion magnitudes for different levels of acceptable loss of image quality were determined.

Automatic Inspection System for Automotive LiDAR Alignment Using a Cubic Target

This study aimed to develop an automatic and accurate inspection system for LiDAR alignment for application in the automobile industry. The proposed inspection system is a one-shot and static method that uses only a single cubic-shaped target at a close range of less than 2 m. The LiDAR pose from the target frame, and consequently from the vehicle body, is estimated by using the 3D positions of the vertices of the cubic target. Instead of directly extracting the vertices from the point cloud data, the points are estimated accurately through a series of processes that find the best-fit orthogonal planes and their intersections. The proposed method can be efficiently applied to low-resolution LiDAR and provides higher accuracy and precision than a similar static inspection method that uses a planar target (Oh <i>et al.</i>, 2021). Experimental evaluation of the proposed method with a low-resolution LiDAR (Velodyne VLP-16) resulted in measurement errors of less than 0.04&#x00B0; and 1 mm for rotation and translation alignment, respectively. Therefore, the designed inspection system is practical for in-factory applications because of its one-shot static methodology that uses only a simple cubic target and detection of the alignment error with high accuracy.

Verification and validation (VnV) of control software for an isocentric rotation chair positioner used to treat patients with head/neck cancers in a fixed carbon-ion beamline

To utilize the full capability of the isocentric rotating chair positioner for the image-guided radiotherapy treatment (IGRT) in a carbon-ion fixed beamline, a verification and validation (VnV) procedure was deployed prior to commissioning the positioner for its clinical application. Based on the structural characteristics of the motion mechanisms and the treatment workflow, we developed the mathematical manipulations to construct an operational-matrix implemented for executing 6 Degree-of-Freedom (6-DoF) displacements required by IGRT system in the IEC fixed (I fix) coordinate. We initially found that a residual misaligned Z-axis of the rotating-platform (Z Irpf) introduced deviations in the order of a few mm for rotations over 360°. We established the sets of categorized VnV-variable to evaluate few residual (but minor) misalignments of the various mechanisms that can cause deviations in the measured displacements. We developed a concept of correlation using each set of VnV-variable to construct a correction-matrix applied on the operational-matrix. Each correction uses the Hexapod to model and compensate the deviations induced by a specific misaligned mechanism. We applied the correction-matrix using VnV-variable values of 0.05° and 2.79 mm for the misalignment of Z Irpf. These values were determined during the VnV procedure. By applying correction-matrix, we achieved an accuracy of ± 1.0 mm in-translation and ± 1.0° in-rotation of 6-DoF displacements having pitch/roll within 2° for a clinical trial treating 17 patients using treatment fields without pitch/roll. To utilize this positioner for treatment fields with ± 20° pitch/roll, we need to construct and implement an additional correction-matrix in the control software to achieve the required clinical accuracy.

Prediction of Individual Knee Kinematics From an MRI Representation of the Articular Surfaces.

The knowledge of individual joint motion may help to understand the articular physiology and to design better treatments and medical devices. Measurements of in-vivo individual motion are nowadays invasive/ionizing (fluoroscopy) or imprecise (skin markers). We propose a new approach to derive the individual knee natural motion from a three-dimensional representation of articular surfaces. We hypothesize that tissue adaptation shapes articular surfaces to optimize load distribution. Thus, the knee natural motion is obtained as the envelope of tibiofemoral positions and orientations that minimize peak contact pressure, i.e. that maximize joint congruence. We investigated four in-vitro and one in-vivo knees. Articular surfaces were reconstructed from a reference MRI. Natural motion was computed by congruence maximization and results were validated versus experimental data, acquired through bone implanted markers, in-vitro, and single-plane fluoroscopy, in-vivo. In two cases, one of which in-vivo, maximum mean absolute error stays below 2.2° and 2.7mm for rotations and translations, respectively. The remaining knees showed differences in joint internal rotation between the reference MRI and experimental motion at 0° flexion, possibly due to some laxity. The same difference is found in the model predictions, which, however, still replicate the individual knee motion. The proposed approach allows the prediction of individual joint motion based on non-ionizing MRI data. This method may help to characterize healthy and, by comparison, pathological knee behavior. Moreover, it may provide an individual reference motion for the personalization of musculoskeletal models, opening the way to their clinical application.

3D rigid-body motion information from spherical Lissajous navigators at small k-space radii: A proof of concept.

To demonstrate, for the first time, the feasibility of obtaining low-latency 3D rigid-body motion information from spherical Lissajous navigators acquired at extremely small k-space radii, which has significant advantages compared with previous techniques. A spherical navigator concept is proposed in which the surface of a k-space sphere is sampled on a 3D Lissajous curve at a radius of 0.1/cm. The navigator only uses a single excitation and is acquired in less than 5 ms. Rotation estimations were calculated with an algorithm from computer vision that exploits a rotation theorem of the spherical harmonics transform and has minimal computational cost. The effectiveness of the concept was investigated with phantom and in vivo measurements on a commercial 3T MRI scanner. Scanner-induced in vivo motion was measured with maximum absolute errors of 0.58° and 0.33 mm for rotations and translations, respectively. In the case of real, in vivo motion, the proposed method showed good agreement with motion information from FSL image registrations (mean/maximum deviations of 0.37°/1.24° and 0.44 mm/1.35 mm). In addition, phantom measurements indicated precisions of 0.014° and 0.013 mm. The computations for complete motion information took, on average, 24 ms on an ordinary laptop. This work demonstrates a proof of concept for obtaining accurate motion information from small-radius spherical navigators. The method has the potential to overcome several previously reported problems and could help increase the utility of navigator-based motion correction both in research and in the clinic.

A six-degree-of-freedom robotic motion system for quality assurance of real-time image-guided radiotherapy

In this study we develop and characterise a six degree-of-freedom (6 DoF) robotic motion system for quality assurance of real-time image-guided radiotherapy techniques. The system consists of a commercially available robotic arm, an acrylic phantom with embedded Calypso markers, a custom base plate to mount the robot to the treatment couch, and control software implementing the appropriate sequence of transformations to reproduce measured tumour motion traces. The robotic motion system was evaluated in terms of the set-up and motion trace repeatability, static localization accuracy and dynamic localization accuracy. Four prostate, two liver and three lung motion traces, representing a range of tumor motion trajectories recorded in real patient treatments, were executed using the robotic motion system and compared with motion measurements from the clinical Calypso motion tracking system. System set-up and motion trace repeatability was better than 0.5 deg and 0.3 mm for rotation and translation, respectively. The static localization accuracy of the robotic motion system in the LR, SI and AP directions was 0.09 mm, 0.08 mm and 0.02 mm for translations, respectively, and 0.2°, 0.06° and 0.06° for rotations, respectively. The dynamic localization accuracy of the robotic motion system was <0.2 mm and <0.6° for translations and rotations, respectively. Thus, we have demonstrated the ability to accurately mimic rigid-body tumor motion using a robotically controlled phantom to provide precise geometric QA for advanced radiotherapy delivery approaches.

The accuracy and precision of Kilovoltage Intrafraction Monitoring (KIM) six degree-of-freedom prostate motion measurements during patient treatments

Background and purposeTo perform a quantitative analysis of the accuracy and precision of Kilovoltage Intrafraction Monitoring (KIM) six degree-of-freedom (6DoF) prostate motion measurements during treatments. Material and methodsReal-time 6DoF prostate motion was acquired using KIM for 14 prostate cancer patients (377 fractions). KIM outputs the 6DoF prostate motion, combining 3D translation and 3D rotational motion information relative to its planning position. The corresponding groundtruth target motion was obtained post-treatment based on kV/MV triangulation. The accuracy and precision of the 6DoF KIM motion estimates were calculated as the mean and standard deviation differences compared with the ground-truth. ResultsThe accuracy ± precision of real-time 6DoF KIM−measured prostate motion were 0.2 ± 1.3° for rotations and 0.1 ± 0.5 mm for translations, respectively. The magnitude of KIM-measured motion was well-correlated with the magnitude of ground-truth motion resulting in Pearson correlation coefficients of ≥0.88 in all DoF. ConclusionsThe results demonstrate that KIM is capable of providing the real-time 6DoF prostate target motion during patient treatments with an accuracy ± precision of within 0.2 ± 1.3° and 0.1 ± 0.5 mm for rotation and translation, respectively. As KIM only requires a single X-ray imager, which is available on most modern cancer radiotherapy devices, there is potential for widespread adoption of this technology.

TH-AB-202-10: Quantifying the Accuracy and Precision of Six Degree-Of-Freedom Motion Estimation for Use in Real-Time Tumor Motion Monitoring During Radiotherapy

Purpose: Kilovoltage intrafraction monitoring (KIM) scheme has been successfully used to simultaneously monitor 3D tumor motion during radiotherapy. Recently, an iterative closest point (ICP) algorithm was implemented in KIM to also measure rotations about three axes, enabling real-time tracking of tumor motion in six degrees-of-freedom (DoF). This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of the six DoF motion estimates of KIM by comparing it with the corresponding motion (i) measured by the Calypso; and (ii) derived from kV/MV triangulation. Methods: (i) Various motions (static and dynamic) were applied to a CIRS phantom with three embedded electromagnetic transponders (Calypso Medical) using a 5D motion platform (HexaMotion) and a rotating treatment couch while both KIM and Calypso were used to concurrently track the phantom motion in six DoF. (ii) KIM was also used to retrospectively estimate six DoF motion from continuous sets of kV projections of a prostate, implanted with three gold fiducial markers (2 patients with 80 fractions in total), acquired during the treatment. Corresponding motion was obtained from kV/MV triangulation using a closed form least squares method based on three markers’ positions. Only the frames where all three markers were present were used in the analysis. The mean differences between the corresponding motion estimates were calculated for each DoF. Results: Experimental results showed that the mean of absolute differences in six DoF phantom motion measured by Calypso and KIM were within 1.1° and 0.7 mm. kV/MV triangulation derived six DoF prostate tumor better agreed with KIM estimated motion with the mean (s.d.) difference of up to 0.2° (1.36°) and 0.2 (0.25) mm for rotation and translation, respectively. Conclusion: These results suggest that KIM can provide an accurate six DoF intrafraction tumor during radiotherapy.

SU‐E‐T‐161: Assessment of Phantom Positioning Accuracy in IMRT Quality Assurance: Insert Design and Implementation

Purpose: A multi‐centre program for intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) quality assurance (QA) has previously been established. In this work, a phantom insert has been designed, in conjunction with an image analysis algorithm, to determine phantom positioning accuracy as part of program development. Methods: An insert was designed for the ArcCheck phantom that includes four BBs (located outside the sensitive area of the phantom) that are visualized using portal images (PI). A procedure has been developed to acquire PI at 8 gantry angles (2 field sizes per angle) for offline analysis. The image analysis method includes three steps: 1) cross correlation analysis is used to automatically detect the BB position with respect to the radiation isocentre in each PI; 2) 2D BB coordinates are reconstructed to 3D using the projected images; 3) the phantom positioning accuracy is obtained by a 3D rigid body transformation analysis of the BB coordinates. To evaluate the reliability of the image analysis method, the PI procedure was completed with the phantom aligned to the lasers (reference position) and with known shifts in phantom position (translational and rotational). Results: The measured change in phantom position, was compared to the known phantom shifts. Good agreement was found between the measured shift and known shift (within 0.2 mm or 0.2°). For the most complicated shift applied (5° yaw, 3 mm lateral translation and 4 mm vertical translation) the agreement was within 0.1° and 0.1 mm for rotations and translations respectively. Conclusion: A phantom insert has been designed to determine the accuracy of phantom positioning with respect to the radiation isocenter. Initial work illustrates that the analysis method can accurately characterize known positioning errors, which will help to isolate the impact of phantom misalignment in the context of IMRT QA. Supported in part by Cancer Care Ontario

Nasal‐bone length in euploid fetuses at 16–24 weeks' gestation by three‐dimensional ultrasound

To establish a normal range of nasal-bone length at 16-24 weeks' gestation by the use of three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound and to investigate the effect of deviations from the exact mid-sagittal plane on the measurement of nasal-bone length. We acquired 3D volumes of the fetal profile from 135 normal fetuses at 16-24 weeks' gestation. The multiplanar mode was used to obtain the exact mid-sagittal plane and to produce parasagittal and oblique views of the fetal face. Nasal-bone length was measured in each plane and the sonographic landmarks of each profile view were examined. Nasal-bone length increased with gestational age from a mean of 4.1 mm at 16 weeks to 7.1 mm at 24 weeks. There was a tendency to underestimate nasal-bone length when the measurements were taken in parasagittal planes and to overestimate the measurements when they were taken in oblique views, compared to the exact mid-sagittal plane. The mean difference in nasal-bone length from the one in the mid-sagittal plane was 0.42 and 0.63 mm for parasagittal measurements at 1 and 2 mm, respectively, from the midline, -0.08 and -0.51 mm for oblique measurements at 10 degrees and 20 degrees rotation along the z-axis and -0.69 mm for rotation of 20 degrees along the z-axis and 10 degrees along the y-axis. The vomeral bone was the only sonographic landmark defining the exact mid-sagittal plane of the face that was not visible in the parasagittal and oblique planes. Parasagittal and oblique scanning planes may produce different degrees of under- or over-estimation of nasal-bone length compared to measurements systematically taken in the exact mid-sagittal plane. Inclusion of the vomeral bone in the definition of the exact mid-sagittal plane of the face could improve the reproducibility of measurements of nasal-bone length.

A simple device for high‐precision head image registration: Preliminary performance and accuracy tests

The purpose of this paper is to present a new device for multimodal head study registration and to examine its performance in preliminary tests. The device consists of a system of eight markers fixed to mobile carbon pipes and bars which can be easily mounted on the patient's head using the ear canals and the nasal bridge. Four graduated scales fixed to the rigid support allow examiners to find the same device position on the patient's head during different acquisitions. The markers can be filled with appropriate substances for visualisation in computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance, single photon emission computer tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography images. The device's rigidity and its position reproducibility were measured in 15 repeated CT acquisitions of the Alderson Rando anthropomorphic phantom and in two SPECT studies of a patient. The proposed system displays good rigidity and reproducibility characteristics. A relocation accuracy of less than 1,5 mm was found in more than 90% of the results. The registration parameters obtained using such a device were compared to those obtained using fiducial markers fixed on phantom and patient heads, resulting in differences of less than 1 degree and 1 mm for rotation and translation parameters, respectively. Residual differences between fiducial marker coordinates in reference and in registered studies were less than 1 mm in more than 90% of the results, proving that the device performed as accurately as noninvasive stereotactic devices. Finally, an example of multimodal employment of the proposed device is reported.

In Vivo Registration of Both Electrogoniometry and Medical Imaging: Development and Application on the Ankle Joint Complex

An in vivo method for joint kinematics visualization and analysis is described. Low-dose computed tomography allowed three-dimensional joint modeling, and electrogoniometry collected joint kinematic data. Data registration occurred using palpated anatomical landmarks to obtain interactive computer joint simulation. The method was applied on one volunteer's ankle, and reproducibility was tested (maximal discrepancy: 3.6 deg and 5.5 mm for rotation and translation respectively).

An Anthropomorphic Phantom Study of the Accuracy of CyberKnife Spinal Radiosurgery

Stereotactic radiosurgery requires the highest degree of accuracy in target identification and localization. When targeting paraspinal lesions, the CyberKnife radiosurgical system (Accuray, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA) uses implanted stainless steel fiducials. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the total system for clinically relevant accuracy of this approach. The clinically relevant accuracy of the CyberKnife depends on 1) the accuracy of beam delivery, which in turn represents a compilation of robot and camera image-tracking errors, and 2) the inherent accuracy of target localization that stems from computed tomographic imaging and treatment planning. The clinically relevant accuracy was measured at three different CyberKnife facilities using head and torso phantoms loaded with packs of radiochromic film and expressed as a displacement of the dose contours from the treatment planning. The mean clinically relevant error, as measured at three different CyberKnife facilities, was determined to be 0.7 +/- 0.3 mm, which did not vary with computed tomographic slice thickness in a range of 0.625 to 1.5 mm. The average treatment delivery precision was 0.3 +/- 0.1 mm. Fiducial tracking error was less than 0.3 mm for radial translations up to 14 mm and less than 0.7 mm for rotations up to 4.5 degrees. For the treatment of relatively stationary spinal lesions targeted with fiducial tracking, the CyberKnife system is capable of submillimeter accuracy.

A method for the intravital measurement of interspinous kinematics

A novel non-radiographic technique for objectively quantifying quasi-static or dynamic intervertebral motion of a spinal motion segment in vivo in human subjects is presented here. The intervertebral motion device (IMD) is an instrumented linkage transducer system which can continuously measure over time two-dimensional sagittal plane rigid-body motion. Three custom-built omega-shaped displacement transducers are utilized. The IMD is rigidly fixed to the spinous processes of the lumbar motion segment by means of two intraosseous pins. Knowing the mechanoelectrical behavior and geometric configuration of the IMD, the relative spatial motion between the vertebral bodies can be resolved into sagittal rotation, axial translation, and anterior-posterior shear translation. Static calibrations of the IMD in the ranges of ±4° rotation and ±4 mm translation determined the absolute maximum errors to be 0.2° and 0.07 mm for rotation and translation measurements, respectively, with corresponding variances of 0.1° and 0.03 mm. For use in the vibration environment, negligible motion artifact content was detected in the IMD output signals when excited at discrete frequencies of 5.0 and 8.0 Hz. The first natural frequency of the IMD, specific for this design, was measured at 16.25 Hz. This technique may be used to study in vivo the spinal kinematics in healthy lumbar motion segments and in patients suspected of having segmental instability, and can perhaps be of clinical diagnostic significance.