Comparison of different methods for lung immobilization in an animal model

Respiratory-induced motion introduces uncertainties in the delivery of dose in radiotherapy treatments. Various methods are used clinically, e.g. breath-holding, while there is limited experience with other methods such as apneic oxygenation and high frequency jet ventilation (HFJV). This study aims to compare the latter approaches for lung immobilization and their clinical impact on gas exchange in an animal model.

Two radiopaque tumor surrogate markers (TSM) were placed in the central (cTSM) and peripheral (dTSM) regions of the lungs in 9 anesthetized and muscle relaxed pigs undergoing 3 ventilatory interventions (1) HFJV at rates of 200 (JV200), 300 (JV300) and 400 (JV400) min^-1; (2) apnea at continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) levels of 0, 8 and 16 cmH₂O; (3) conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) as reference mode. cTSM and dTSM were visualized using fluoroscopy and their coordinates were computed. The ventilatory pattern was registered, and oxygen and carbon dioxide (pCO₂) partial pressures were measured.

The highest range of TSM motion, and ventilation was found during CMV, the lowest during apnea. During HFJV the amount of motion varied inversely with increasing frequency. The reduction of TSM motion at JV300, JV400 and all CPAP levels came at the cost of increased pCO₂, however the relatively low frequency of 200 min^-1 for HFJV was the only ventilatory setting that enabled adequate CO₂ removal.

In this model, HFJV at 200 min^-1 was the best compromise between immobilization and gas exchange for sessions of 10-min duration.