Bellyboard device reduces small bowel displacement

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Medical Devices
• Radiation Oncology

Background:

• Pelvic malignancies are difficult to cure due to radiation dose limits.
• Radiation enteritis, an inflammation of the small intestine, restricts radiation doses to 45-50 Gy.
• Effective treatment of pelvic cancers requires higher radiation doses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and fabricate a device for excluding the small bowel from the pelvic radiation field.
• To evaluate the efficacy of this device in reducing small bowel volume within radiation portals.
• To assess the potential for increasing radiation doses for pelvic cancer patients.

Main Methods:

• Design and fabrication of a novel small bowel exclusion device.
• Prospective dose-volume analysis.
• Inclusion of 30 patients with pelvic malignancies.

Main Results:

• A 66% reduction in the volume of small bowel within the radiation portals was achieved.
• The device successfully excluded the small bowel from the targeted radiation area.
• Demonstrated feasibility of reducing radiation exposure to the small intestine.

Conclusions:

• The developed device effectively reduces small bowel volume during pelvic radiation therapy.
• This approach has the potential to enable higher radiation doses, improving cure rates for pelvic malignancies.
• Further studies are warranted to confirm the clinical benefits and long-term outcomes.