Assessing Deformable Image Registration in the Lung Using Hyperpolarized-gas MRI

Healthy Volunteers Clinical Trial

Official title: Assessing Deformable Image Registration in the Lung Using Hyperpolarized-gas

Status Recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

Recently, the investigators have demonstrated a novel hyperpolarized helium tagging Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI) technique that is capable of directly, in vivo, and non-invasively measuring physiological lung deformation on a regional basis. This unique imaging technique holds great promise for assessing, validating, and improving the use of Deformable image Registration (DIR) algorithms in the lung. Our long term aim is to apply hyperpolarized gas tagging MRI to study lung biomechanics, develop more physiologically sound DIR algorithms for the lungs, and eventually improve radiotherapy of lung cancer. The overall aim of this application is to optimize the hyperpolarized helium tagging MRI technology and establish its usefulness for DIR assessment.

Our first objective is to develop and optimize a methodology based on 3 Dimensional (3D) hyperpolarized helium tagging MRI of healthy subjects, for directly measuring lung deformation between inhalation and exhalation. Our second objective is to develop physiologically sound digital thorax phantoms based on helium-3 tagging MRI of healthy subjects and demonstrate their use for DIR assessment in the lung. These phantoms will be used to evaluate a range different DIR algorithms, by comparing the errors between the DIR-derived deformation vector fields and the ground truth represented in the digital phantom. Successful completion of these aims will yield a novel methodology for DIR assessment in the lung for radiotherapy.

Clinical Trial Description

The purpose of this study is to develop new ways to make medical images of the lungs and liver of adults using a technique called four-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (4D-MRI). This technique produces three-dimensional movies of the inside of the chest and abdomen while the patient is breathing. (The fourth dimension is time!)

This new way of medical imaging is being developed to help cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is used to treat cancerous tumors. For radiation therapy to be effective, the precise size, shape, and location of the tumor within the body must be known. A particular difficulty for radiation treatment of lung and liver cancer is that the tumor moves during treatment because the patient is breathing. Therefore, tumor motion must also be incorporated into the treatment plan. This study aims to improve radiation treatment planning through better targeting and dose estimation based on 4D-MRI. Before this new imaging method can be used for radiation treatment planning, it must be tested in living, breathing volunteers.

You are being asked to take part in a research study because you are a cancer patient or a healthy volunteer. You do not have to take part in this study. You should only agree to take part in this study after reading this consent form and discussing it with the study team. You may also discuss this with your family, friends, health care providers or others before you make a decision.

Though you may not be directly helped by being in this study, the information gained by doing this study may help others in the future. You might not want to take part in this study because of the temporary risk of discomfort during the time the subject is asked to lie still in the confined space of the MRI scanner. This discomfort may include claustrophobia (fear of being in a small space), feelings of warmth, muscle twitching due to excited nerves, and exposure to loud thumping noises produced by the MR scanner. If you are pregnant or think you may be pregnant, if would not be safe for you to be in this study. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Healthy Volunteers

• NCT number: NCT02995590
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: University of Virginia
• Contact: Roselove Asare, BSRT
• Phone: 434-243-6074
• Email: rnn3b@virginia.edu
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: Phase 1
• Start date: July 1, 2016
• Completion date: December 15, 2021