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Cutting the clicks

Next stop in my quickfire tour of the 131 exhibitors showcasing their wares at AAPM was Philips. Among the company’s line up of new developments was the latest version of its radiation treatment planning system Pinnacle³.

New features of the work-in-progress Version 9 (due for commercial release in Q2 next year) include: faster planning speed; enhanced handling of 4D CT image sets; streamlined image import (one click to import multiple image sets); and improved DICOM export.

"We’ve made a lot of workflow improvements," said Philips’ Kathy Wall. "What used to take a lot of clicks now takes just one or two."

Keeping track with the latest IMRT developments, in particular, volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), Pinnacle³ now also offers a feature called SmartArc. SmartArc is a treatment planning system that’s designed to work with all VMAT compatible accelerators. It supports both constant and variable dose rate delivery, and can deal with MLC leaves with 2.5 or 5 mm resolution.

According to Philips, a new dose engine - along with the use of more powerful computing hardware - enables SmartArc to meet the speed requirements of VMAT’s more complex treatment plans. And as SmartArc is based on the company’s existing IMRT planning software, Wall says that users will easily learn how to use the new system.

Philips was also announcing the forthcoming release of its Gemini TF Big Bore - claimed to be the first commercial PET/CT that offers a bore size of 85 cm for both PET and CT. The new system will also feature a 190 cm table that’s capable of supporting up to 500 lb. The company plans to start installation at beta sites at the end of this year and ship the Big Bore commercially next April.
 

Posted by Tami Freeman on July 28, 2008 6:51 PM | Permalink