Imaging
Research is Highlighted Nationally
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Standard MR image of the prostate |
Research work on prostate imaging by
BME and Radiology faculty is highlighted by The United
States Department of Defense (DoD).
With funding from the Department of Defense,
Dr. Baowei Fei, Assistant Professor of Radiology and Biomedical
Engineering, has developed novel image registration techniques
to combine multiple imaging modalities for image-guided
minimally invasive therapies for prostate cancer. Image
registration is an emerging field of study that is focused
on providing anatomical details with real-time, functional
data from two or more different imaging techniques. In
particularly, Dr. Fei is exploring a novel aspect of image
registration to combine interventional magnetic resonance
imaging before-and-after treatment to monitor radiofrequency
thermal ablation of prostate cancer. This will provide
the detailed information necessary to determine whether
the treatment was adequate. Dr. Fei recently developed
a "non-rigid" registration method that represents
a significant improvement over "rigid" attempts
to register the prostate. This tool will undoubtedly improve
prostate therapy by thermal ablation treatment. Its utility
may improve dosage planning for both external beam and
brachytherapy treatments of prostate cancer.
This research was recently selected as
an example of excellent studies funded by the Department
of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program. It is highlighted
on the website homepages of the Department of Defense Congressionally
Directed Medical Research Programs and the Prostate Cancer
Research Program. The title is "New imaging method
provides a 'before and after' snapshot of the prostate".
Fei's colleagues contributing to the "non-rigid" technique
included Drs. David Wilson, Jeffrey Duerk, and Bruce Sodee
all from Case Western Reserve University and University
Hospitals of Cleveland. This national highlight is one
indicator that the biomedical imaging program is rapidly
growing and attracting even more attention.
The office of the Congressionally Directed
Medical Research Programs manages Congressional Special
Interest Medical Research Programs encompassing breast,
prostate, and ovarian cancers, neurofibromatosis, military
health, and other specified areas. Since fiscal year 1992,
the office has managed approximately $3.4 billion in Congressional
appropriations for peer-reviewed research aimed to prevent,
control, and cure disease. Through fiscal year 2004, approximately
6,000 awards have been made to advance health care solutions
via extramural grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements.
Multimodality imaging for interventional MRI-guided
minimally invasive therapies for prostate cancer. High-resolution
anatomic images from computed tomography (CT) or magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) are registered and fused with functional
images from single photon emission computed tomography
(SPECT) or positron emission tomography (PET) for improved
tumor targeting.
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