Development of a deep inspiration breath-hold system for radiotherapy utilizing a laser distance measurer.

Deep inspiration breath-hold (DIBH) is a technique for treating left-sided breast cancer (LSBC). In modern radiotherapy, one of the main aims is to exclude the heart from the beam aperture with an individualized beam design for LSBC. A deep inhalation will raise the chest wall while the volume of the lungs increase, this will again push the heart away from the breast to be treated. There are a few commercial DIBH systems, both invasive and noninvasive. We present an alternative noninvasive DIBH system based upon an industrial laser distance measurer. This system can be installed in a treatment room at a low cost; it is very easy to use and requires limited amount of training for the personnel and the patient. The system is capable of measuring the position of the chest wall with high frequency and precision in real time. The patient views its breathing curve through video glasses, and gets instructions during the treatment session. The system is well tolerated by test subjects due to its noninvasiveness.