Development of a patient-specific immobilisation facemask for radiation therapy using additive manufacturing, pressure sensors and topology optimisation
ISSN: 1355-2546
Article publication date: 13 December 2021
Issue publication date: 5 May 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Radiotherapy relies on the delivery of radiation to cancer cells with millimetre accuracy, and immobilisation of patients is essential to minimise unwanted damage to surrounding healthy cells due to patient movement. Traditional thermoformed face masks can be uncomfortable and stressful for patients and may not be accurately fitted. The purpose of this study was to use 3D scanning and additive manufacturing to digitise this workflow and improve patient comfort and treatment outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
The head of a volunteer was scanned using an Artec Leo optical scanner (Artec, Luxembourg) and ANSYS (Ansys, Canonsburg, USA) software was used to make two 3D models of the mask: one with a nose bridge and one open as would be used with optical surface guidance. Data based on measurements from ten pressure sensors around the face was used to perform topology optimisation, with the best designs 3D printed using fused deposition modelling (FDM) and tested on the volunteer with embedded pressure sensors.
Findings
The two facemasks proved to be significantly different in terms of restricting head movement inside the masks. The optimised mask with a nose bridge effectively restricted head movement in roll and yaw orientations and exhibited minimal deformation as compared to the open mask design and the thermoformed mask.
Originality/value
The proposed workflow allows customisation of masks for radiotherapy immobilisation using additive manufacturing and topology optimisation based on collected pressure sensor data. In the future, sensors could be embedded in masks to provide real-time feedback to clinicians during treatment.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Training Centre in Additive Bio-manufacturing (IC160100026) http://www.additivebiomanufacturing.org. In addition, the authors acknowledge the support of the Gross foundation. Moreover, the authors acknowledge the technical support of Amir Taghvaie, the PhD student at Deakin University and Basaula Deepak, the medical physics specialist at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Funding sources have not contributed to the study design of this research or other aspects of this work. The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Declaration of competing interest: Authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Citation
Asfia, A., Novak, J.I., Rolfe, B. and Kron, T. (2022), "Development of a patient-specific immobilisation facemask for radiation therapy using additive manufacturing, pressure sensors and topology optimisation", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 28 No. 5, pp. 945-952. https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-09-2021-0241
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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