Project Groups 2008-2009 - Tamar Nevo

• VIBE: Visualization of Intrafraction Behavior from Electromagnetic Tracking (Tamar Nevo)
  
       [Abstract] | [Project Blog]  | [Proposal] | [Final Report] | [Final Presentation]
  
  

Abstract

Platforming has been a cornerstone of the video game industry since the early 1980's, and has existed in many different forms, from the classic side scrolling Mario Bros to the Free Running simulation Mirror's Edge. Platforming as a gameplay mechanic has been included in many genres, and has been adapted and changed for each genre.

Collaborating with a group of Radiology Oncologists at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), my project aims to visualize prostate motion during a single radiation treatment by using an organ-tracking device. The natural movement of organs in the body can interfere with the accuracy of treating target tissue. As such, there has been an effort in radiation therapy to improve the precision of cancer treatments, reducing side effects by decreasing unintentional doses reaching normal tissue and better controlling tumors. Recent electromagnetic tracking using a technology called the Calypso 4D Localization System has provided means of recording the location of the prostate in real-time during radiation therapy. The Calypso system relies on three Beacon® transponders, tiny electromagnetic sensors implanted in the prostate prior to treatment, which monitor the position and motion of the organ. The spatiotemporal data from the three transponders is recorded in an excel file in a sequential order (i.e. T1, T2, T3, T1, T2), and must be re-sampled to explain the position and movement of each transponder independently over time (b-spline curves will be used for this task).

Advisors: Dr. Norm Badler