A Method for MR Imaging of Prostate Cancer Patients in the Radiotherapy Treatment Position Without Loss of Image Quality

Scott Hanvey¹, John Foster², Martin Glegg¹

Imaging prostate cancer patients in the radiotherapy treatment planning position using MRI is desirable, since MR image registration with CT in different positions introduces errors, which can result in inaccuracies in the delineation of the target volume. Positioning patients in the treatment position using a flat table is not possible in MRI without incurring an unacceptable loss in image quality as posterior imaging coils integrated within a flat table are not available. This study describes a method for MR imaging of prostate cancer patients in the radiotherapy treatment position while maintaining the image quality necessary for successful radiotherapy treatment planning.