World first for non-contact respiratory motion monitoring

Monitoring respiratory motion during diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy is necessary for accurate diagnosis and treatment. However, respiratory motion is rarely monitored during these procedures due to the lack of practical, non-invasive tools.

The MWS sensor solution to this issue is a non-contact device that uses electromagnetic radiation to detect motion in various scenarios. Unlike traditional systems, such as infrared sensors that require the use of reflective markers on the patient’s body, the MWS works without any physical contact. Their findings are detailed online in Medical Physics.

To validate the effectiveness of the MWS, the researchers led by Dr Hiroyuki Kosaka, along with Dr Kenji Matsumoto and Dr Hajime Monzen from the Department of Medical Physics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kindai University, utilised a 24GHz microMWS for detecting the respiratory motion.

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“We tested the system using a controlled respiratory motion phantom [QUASAR]. This phantom allowed us to simulate respiratory motion under controlled conditions, comparing the MWS’s ability to detect subtle changes in motion with the phantom’s known motion patterns,” Dr Kosaka said in a statement.