[Computed tomography of the whole body as a means of radiation planning (author's transl)]

Computed tomography of the whole body offers the first possibility to obtain individual tomographs with high resolution and in correct scale from all regions of the body. Using the "Sicograph", large-sized copies are obtained, which are therefore particularly useful for radiation planning. The size and location of tumors relative to critical organs can be determined exactly. The efficacy of radiation therapy in every individual case may be estimated on the basis of the controlled course (radiobiological information), [2,4,6,11,16,17,18,24,30], and the necessary modifications of the therapeutic schedule can be adopted early, allowing the complete utilization of the advantages of the shrinking field technique [8,19,26]. Since ultrasonic tomographs in many cases furnish additional information, we regard the combination of computed and ultrasonic tomography as the best way to obtain an accuracy of radiation planning previously unknown.