Radiooncology Bremen

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A tour through the group practice

Registration

The ladies at the reception are the first contact persons for our patients. They are responsible for all organizational. They arrange ambulant appointments for introduction, compile patient files, accept documents and are the primary contact persons whenever you need a prescription, a certificate of disability or a taxi certificate. To your first appointment you should always bring all available medical documents, i.e. doctor’s reports, x-ray images.

Waiting area

The waiting area with doctor’s and examination room is directly adjacent to the registration. The consulting and educational dialogues as well as first examinations take place there.
Patients who appear daily for irradiation are called up from both waiting areas to the second basement directly in front of the irradiation apparatuses.

Computed tomography

Since November 2005, the practice possesses its own computed tomography scanner. This modern spiral-computed tomography scanner is specially equipped for the requirements for planning radiotherapy. In a short time, i.e. only a few minutes, the designated area for irradiation is displayed on a cross section set, and transmitted for physical irradiation planning using an extensive complete data set. In addition, a so called simulation can be carried out with this computed tomography scanner.

Planning of irradiation

In most cases, planning of irradiation is supported by computed tomography, i.e. the physician defines the aimed volume which should be irradiated with the aid of the cross section image of the patient. The required dose for the disease and tumor volume is determined. Computerized medical physicists calculate an irradiation plan with a special software. Besides the designated dose for the tumor area, this irradiation plan has to consider tolerances of surrounding tissue and healthy organs. Often several versions are calculated and through collective discussions between physicians and medical physicists, the optimal irradiation technique is determined. Afterwards, the irradiation plan with all necessary data is transferred to the irradiation devices by the computer network of the practice.

Linear accelerators SL 15 and SL 16

Both accelerators offer the possibility to irradiate with electromagnetic waves, so called photons, as well as with particles, so called electrons. Both irradiation qualities are available in different energies. The accelerators are equipped with modern multi-leaf-collimators, which allow an individual form of field due to their 80 Wolfram-lamellas in X- and Y-arrangement and therewith an optimized adaptation to the designated aimed volume.

Next to the patient cabins the central control rooms are situated in front of the accelerator irradiation rooms. The entire irradiation is controlled and supervised from these central control rooms. Teams of our medical-radiological assistants work here. The irradiation room can be observed on two monitors during irradiation and the patient that is lying there can be supervised. An intercommunication system allows direct communication with the patient. With a console the accelerator can be regulated. All irradiation parameters from the database and the particular irradiation plan can be accessed for every individual patient. During irradiation the particular irradiation field is displayed on a monitor.

Verification system

As a control a verification x-ray of every irradiation field is made during the first adjustment of a patient on the accelerator. Every further alteration or adjustment of irradiation fields is also controlled by x-ray images. In addition, during the series of irradiation an x-ray control is carried out in regular intervals in order to document a constant field localization. For this control measure, a storage plate system which was especially developed for radiotherapy was installed at the end of 2006.This allows an optimized image system, even in a case of a complicated anatomy. These control images, which document the irradiation quality, and all patient documents are stored for 30 years after the end of treatment according to guidelines for radiation protection.