Prone-supine change in organ position: CT demonstration

Area of Science:

• Radiological imaging and anatomy
• Radiation oncology
• Medical physics

Background:

• Accurate patient positioning is critical for effective radiotherapy.
• Understanding organ motion due to body position variations is essential for treatment planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the positional variations of anatomical structures in patients when changing from supine to prone positions.
• To assess the impact of body positioning on thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic organs before radiotherapy.

Main Methods:

• Computed tomography (CT) scans were performed on 38 patients in both supine and prone positions.
• Positional changes of hilar structures, pulmonary metastases, heart, great vessels, liver, spleen, and kidneys were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Prone positioning caused a ventral shift in hilar structures (36/38 patients).
• The heart, great vessels, liver, spleen, and kidneys showed ventral and/or caudal shifts in the prone position.
• Cervical and pelvic structures exhibited minimal positional variation.

Conclusions:

• Body positioning significantly alters the location of thoracic and abdominal organs.
• These positional shifts must be considered in radiotherapy planning to ensure accurate dose delivery.