Wednesday, May 13, 2009

an example of the radiotherapy mask that will be molded to fit Mom's face (Dr. Tonnesen's arm in pic)

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks like just the mesh/framework for the final mask... can't see how what he's holding in the pic will actually protect from errant radiation.

preppin

preppin

Kevin Kim said...

Apparently, that's the actual mask. It was never intended for shielding her; it was to help with precise aiming of the radiation beams. Some BBs will be attached to the mask, and will somehow aid with the guidance. The whole thing reminds me a bit of "motion capture" technology in the movies.

I should also note that I misunderstood the mask's purpose. It is indeed to help the machines for their aiming, but it's not merely a surrogate for Mom's face: she'll be wearing the mask during treatment to keep her head as still as possible.

See here for more info.


Kevin