On the use of 3D scanning and surface matching to locate patients undergoing radiotherapy planning and treatment

The authors discuss the methods and applications used to capture three dimensional (3D) surface representations of the human body. They present a 3D data acquisition system based on a IBM compatible computer running under Microsoft Windows 3.1. They focus on the proposed application of the system in patient repositioning during radiotherapy treatment. Patients undergoing radiotherapy treatment undergo a series of `simulation studies´ prior to the actual treatment. These studies are done to decide what machine settings to use when the treatment is applied. The position of the high energy photon beam relative to the treatment area is critical. The orientation of the this beam can be incorrect if the patient´s 3D position relative to the treatment machine is not in agreement with his or her position relative to the simulator used during simulation studies. The system proposed addresses this issue. They conclude with an evaluation of such a system and how it might assist in the provision of a high quality radiotherapy service