Medical Imaging News

February 14, 2007

Varian’s Patient Position Monitoring Technology Gets Nod from FDA

The FDA has given Varian Medical Systems 510(k) clearance for the patient position monitoring capabilities added to the company's RPM respiratory gating system.

RPM's newest feature detects any motion that compromises the accuracy of the treatment by placing a reflective marker box on the patient's chest or abdomen and monitoring its motion using special cameras positioned in the treatment room.

Previously, motion of the marker block was monitored only in the vertical dimension, to correlate it with the rhythmically repeating tumor motion that occurs as the patient breathes, and to trigger the treatment beam on and off as the tumor moves in and out of range.

Improvements allow the RPM system to analyze the marker block motion in all three dimensions, alerting the radiation therapist if the patient moves and should be repositioned.

The software also is designed to "learn" how the marker block is going to move when a particular patient is still and breathing normally. If the individual shifts, an alert is sent so that the clinician can stop and reposition the patient.

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