i-Violin (Implementing verifiable oncological imaging by quality assurance and optimisation) is a 24-month project (September 2022 – August 2024) co-funded by the EU under the EU4Health programme 2021-2027, EU4H-2021-PJ-03 Action grants for a project on the quality and safety of radiation technology in diagnosis and treatment of cancer which brings together 10 partners from 9 countries.
iViolin Objectives
The objectives of i-Violin are to satisfy the clearly identified need to optimise and harmonise oncological imaging procedures in Europe and ensure their broad adoption.
The main objectives of i-Violin are:
The current disparities in oncological imaging procedures in Europe are evident from several projects and surveys conducted by the EuroSafe Imaging campaign, which i-Violin can address at the European level to improve cancer care for Europe’s patients.
Against the multiple hurdles preventing optimisation of oncological imaging approaches, i-Violin aims to disseminate the image quality assessment tool developed in MEDIRAD for chest CT in hospitals throughout Europe and adjust it for imaging procedures in the abdominal and pelvic regions, for which no satisfactory tool exists. The outcome of available commercial software for evaluating patient-specific dose indicators will be cross-validated against more sophisticated dose-evaluation tools for determining organ doses dependent on patient parameters and image settings as developed for chest CT. Furthermore, only a combination of image-quality assessment and dose evaluation on the same patient images can allow patient- and indication-specific optimisation with respect to patient radiation protection.
A European database will be established for CT images resulting from different imaging parameters, corresponding patient dose indicators and image quality indicators, and recommendations will be given for these approaches.
European adoption of optimisation measures for image quality assessment and dose evaluation in member states must be fostered through dissemination of i-Violin’s deliverables among hospitals, policy makers, societies and other stakeholders and implementation of education and training activities. i-Violin will contribute to establishing a harmonised and standardised oncological imaging approach, and a targeted education and training programme for radiologists, radiographers and medical physicists will accompany dissemination and foster uptake.
In order to achieve its objectives, i-Violin’s work has been mapped out in 7 work packages and UCD will lead on WP3.
Work Package 1: Project management and coordination
Work Package 2: Dissemination and communication
Work Package 3: Impact evaluation (UCD)
Work Package 4: Adaptation of existing image quality evaluation tools and dose evaluation for CT imaging in cancer patients
Work Package 5: Clinical database implementation and data collection
Work Package 6: Optimisation of oncological imaging procedures (CT) based on protocols for selected clinical indications
Work Package 7: Education and training on image quality evaluation tools and corresponding optimisation
UCDs role
UCD School of Medicine staff, Assoc Prof Shane Foley and Assoc Prof Jonathan McNulty will lead Work Package 3 of the project, which is tasked with evaluating the project in terms of whether the implementation works as foreseen, what needs to be adjusted and what is the impact of i-Violin during the project period in achieving uptake and harmonisation for oncological CT procedures in the selected body regions. WP3 will develop recommendations for implementation of project results based on feedback from tool end-users, discussions with regulators, and education and training outcomes.
Facts
Coordinator: European Institute for Biomedical Imaging Research (EIBIR)
Number of Partners: 10
Start Date: September 1, 2022
End Date: August 31, 2024
Total Funding: € 1,172,487.81
EIBIR project page
Click here for project details and updates on www.eibir.org
i-Violin News
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.