Bhudatt Paliwal

Biography

I am a professor emeritus in the Departments of Radiation Medicine and Medical Physics. I am engaged in clinical physics activities, focusing primarily on emerging applications of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in radiation therapy. My work is focused on understanding the impact of MRI-integrated radiation therapy systems on the delivery of radiation therapy. Real-time MR imaging provides high-quality images with superior soft-tissue contrast. This ability has contributed to innovative approaches to managing respiratory and cardiac motion as well as the impact of gastrointestinal processes. New MR acquisition techniques reduce imaging times and provide 3D MR images with a large field of view (FOV) for short breath hold. Image-based breath-hold management for gating promises to be relatively superior to operator guidance.

Real-time MR-guided, on-table adaptive therapy allows the incorporation of anatomical changes within short time periods to optimize treatment plans. The dose from each fraction can be escalated or de-escalated based upon the proximity of nearby critical structures while the patient is on the treatment table. This approach permits replanning to reduce dose to organs at risk while giving a greater dose to the target.