Here we are at Saturday morning, already nearly the end… Some had to catch a flight, not everybody is in the picture. Great to see see all the people, after a very positive symposium in a great atmosphere. More photos will follow in the next few days (password protected).

As soon as we received permission from the speakers, we will publish their presentation here (password protected).

Location is now lecture hall 4, the largest available at the hospital (Meibergdreef 9). Therefore, some more people will fit in!

“Breathing control for motion management

in radiotherapy and imaging“

March, Friday 15. and Saturday 16., 2024, Amsterdam

Program is available!

We are excited to announce this first ever special international symposium about respiratory motion management in radiotherapy and imaging. Organ motion due to breathing hampers accurate radiotherapy in the thoracic and upper abdominal region, and requires generous margins. Respiratory motion management is also an increasingly important topic in (diagnostic) imaging. Besides technical solutions such as tracking and gating, non-invasive breathing control using ventilators is getting more awareness over the last years.

With this symposium we aim to bring together an international audience with interest in and/or expertise regarding non-invasive breathing control of conscious patients.

During this symposium we will discuss how to

explore critical hidden pathways: a new look at optimal respiratory motion management;
combine external and internal fixation – a new paradigm for radiotherapy;
discover novel non-invasive immobilization of the breathing patient;
learn how to redistribute normal lung tissue, fixate the chest wall, diaphragm, tumor and surrounding organs-at-risk;.
achieve faster treatment times than with tracking or gating;
reduce motion of moving targets with simple and robust solutions.

Topics of interest include

administration and safety of supplemental (e.g. 60%) oxygen;
non-invasive mechanical ventilation to regularize breathing or to breath hold;
combinations of non-invasive mechanical ventilation with tracking or gating;
other techniques to regularize breathing;
potential application for particle and proton therapy;
improvement of image quality and artifact reduction with MRI, CT or PET.

Audience

Clinicians, radiation therapists (RTTs), physicists, physiologists, anesthetists, intensivists or any other discipline involved in radiation treatment and/or imaging.

Regi stration

Location

Lecture hall 4

Amsterdam University Medical Centers, location AMC

Adress: Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam

Format

A number of invited speakers will give an extensive overview of the status of the field, both from a fundamental and an applied clinical perspective. A live demonstration with a volunteer is being prepared to show the application of breathing control management with non-invasive mechanical ventilation. Industrial partners are invited to showcase their interest and developments. There will be ample opportunity for networking with social activities, including a diner and boat trip in Amsterdam.

Organizing committee

Prof. dr. Zvi Symon, MD, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Aviv

Dr. Irma van Dijk, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam

Dr. Michael Parkes, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam

Prof. dr. Arjan Bel, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam

Breathing control

Many thanks to all speakers, sponsors and supporting staff: the symposium was very successful! We are looking forward to a second edition – at some time in the (not too far) future.