Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29588854›Full record

ArticleJournal of therapeutic ultrasound2018

Experimental study of beam distortion due to fiducial markers during salvage HIFU in the prostate.

Marina Bakaric, Eleanor Martin, Panayiotis S Georgiou, Benjamin T Cox, Heather Payne, Bradley E Treeby

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of therapeutic ultrasound, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
2.2field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Impact of breast biopsy markers on magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound.International journal of hyperthermia : the official journal of European Society for Hyperthermic Oncology, North American Hyperthermia Group · 2026
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Marina Bakaric1Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT UK.ORCID 0000-0002-3609-311X
Eleanor Martin1Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT UK.
Panayiotis S Georgiou1Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT UK.
Benjamin T Cox1Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT UK.
Heather Payne1Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT UK.
Bradley E Treeby1Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT UK.
University College London · GBUniversity College Hospital · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundProstate cancer is frequently treated using external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). Prior to therapy, the prostate is commonly implanted with a small number of permanent fiducial markers used to monitor the position of the prostate during therapy. In the case of local cancer recurrence, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) provides a non-invasive salvage treatment option. However, the impact of the fiducial markers on HIFU treatment has not been thoroughly studied to date. The objective of this study was to experimentally investigate the effect of a single EBRT fiducial marker on the efficacy of HIFU treatment delivery using a tissue-mimicking material (TMM).

methodsA TMM with the acoustic properties of the prostate was developed based on a polyacrylamide hydrogel containing bovine serum albumin. Each phantom was implanted with a cylindrical fiducial marker and then sonicated using a 3.3 MHz focused bowl HIFU transducer. Two sets of experiments were performed. In the first, a single lesion was created at different positions along either the anteroposterior or left-right axes relative to the marker. In the second, a larger ablation volume was created by raster scanning. The size and position of the ablated volume were assessed using a millimetre grid overlaid on the phantom.

resultsThe impact of the marker on the position and size of the HIFU lesion was significant when the transducer focus was positioned within 7 mm anteriorly, 18 mm posteriorly or within 3 mm laterally of the marker. Beyond this, the generated lesion was not affected. When the focus was anterior to the marker, the lesion increased in size due to reflections. When the focus was posterior, the lesion decreased in size or was not present due to shadowing.

conclusionsThe presence of an EBRT fiducial marker may result in an undertreated region beyond the marker due to reduced energy arriving at the focus, and an overtreated region in front of the marker due to reflections. Depending on the position of the targeted regions and the distribution of the markers, both effects may be undesirable and reduce treatment efficacy. Further work is necessary to investigate whether these results indicate the necessity to reconsider patient selection and treatment planning for prostate salvage HIFU after failed EBRT.

Indexed as

EBRTFeasibilityFiducial markerHIFUPhantomProstate cancerSalvage treatment

Identifiers

PMID29588854
PMCPMC5863876
OpenAlexW2804333345

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.