A study on the precise examination needed to decide an optimal planning target volume for carbon ion radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma

The purpose of this study was to make two pictures of the randomly-selected cross section of the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) lesion using three dimensional (3D) image data obtained from the three dimensional computed tomography (CT) and the three dimensional ultrasonography (US), and to prove their identity as an image of the same cross section. Using the measurement system of three inclined angles of a cross section from the three planes, a horizontal plane and two vertical planes in the three dimensional space, we obtained two images of the same cross section of the HCC lesion originating from 3D-US and 3D-CT image data (US-CT 3D-dual image). To prove the identity of the two images of the US-CT 3D-dual image, 3D-US and 3D-CT images, we compared the two images to the original cross section of the resected HCC specimen. We could visually prove the identity of the two images consisting in the US-CT 3D-dual image originating from the 3D-US image data and 3D-CT image data. The US-CT 3D-dual image seems to be effective to make an exact treatment plan of carbon ion radiotherapy for HCC. (author)