Philips Ambient Experience In-bore Connect enhances the patient experience during MR-only radiotherapy planning and simulation for brain and head & neck cancer

During a Philips sponsored lunchtime symposium at the 2023 European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology Annual Meeting (ESTRO 2023, May 12-16, 2023, Vienna, Austria), in a presentation titled ‘New developments in MR-guided radiotherapy for head-and-neck cancer’, Dr. Cornelis Raaijmakers of University Medical Center Utrecht (The Netherlands) will describe his experience using Philips MRCAT Head and Neck MR-RT application on Philips MR – Ingenia RT XD – MR simulation platform, and MacroMedics’ double shell head and neck positioning system DSPS-Prominent®, which can be used in combination with Philips Ambient Experience In-bore Connect MR experience solution.

Patients undergoing radiotherapy for brain or head and neck tumors need a pre-treatment CT or MRI scan to accurately delineate their tumor so it can be precisely targeted with tumor destroying radiation in a linear accelerator (LINAC), while minimizing damage to surrounding tissue. In many cases MRI has an advantage over CT in terms of MRI’s better soft-tissue imaging. Since the patient must be moved from the scanner into the LINAC, it is crucial that the precise 3D coordinates of the tumor are known and transferred to the LINAC, so the tumor can be accurately targeted. Getting the high-quality MRI images needed for precision radiation therapy planning and simulation, and accurately establishing the tumor’s exact coordinates, typically requires the patient to lie with their head inside a special MRI coil, held in a consistent position using a custom-made thermoplastic mask to prevent head movement between procedures. For many patients, lying still in the open-bore of an MRI scanner can be daunting enough. For patients inside a special MRI coil with a head positioning solution it can be much more so.

With improving the patient experience being a key element in all Philips healthcare innovations, Philips recently partnered with patient-positioning company MacroMedics to relieve patient anxiety and stress during MR head and neck examinations by achieving compatibility between MacroMedics’ latest double shell positioning system DSPS-Prominent® and Philips’ dStream Head&Neck coil. This unique solution combines the superior soft tissue imaging capabilities and high-resolution image quality of Philips’ head and neck coil with the personalized comfort, positional accuracy, and stability features of MacroMedics’ head and neck positioning solution.

Philips has now taken in-bore comfort for brain and head and neck cancer patients to the next level by making the solution compatible with Philips Ambient Experience In-bore Connect. Patients can now benefit from step-by-step guidance information and positive distraction during brain and head and neck scans by experiencing sounds and video that have been psychologically designed to ease anxiety and stress. It’s not only patients that benefit. Calm, relaxed patients result in better image quality and faster examinations, positively impacting clinical staff satisfaction, workflow and productivity, potentially leading to better outcomes.

Philips Ambient Experience In-bore Connect

Staff at Chiba University Hospital (Chiba, Japan) have observed a decrease in MR rescans after using Philips Ambient Experience In-bore Connect [1], and now plan to evaluate its impact on the patient experience. They also reported that they do not need to spend as much time on easing patient concerns and have been able to complete MR scans on patients with claustrophobia who were previously unable to complete a scan [1]. A survey at Herlev Gentofte University Hospital, (Gentofte, Denmark) reported a 70% reduction in the number of interrupted exams for Ingenia 3.0T scanner with Ambient Experience and the in-bore solution and a 22% higher net promoter score (NPS) compared to examinations without Ambient Experience In-bore Connect) [1].

Dr. Raaijmakers’ symposium presentation during ESTRO 2023 on his experience with the Philips/Macromedics MR radiotherapy planning and simulation solution will take place on May 15th, 2023, at 13:00 (CEST). You can watch his presentation after the event by watching the YouTube recording. Keep up to date by following @PhilipsLiveFrom #ESTRO23

[1] Results from case studies are not predictive of results in other cases. Results in other cases may vary.