ABSTRACT
For many years, developments for target alignment in radiation therapy were focused on beam shaping and radiation source positioning technologies (Sawant 2008; Seppenwoolde 2007). Recent developments in treatment couch technology have led to a surge in couch-based target alignment methods (Figure 6.1). New treatment couches are fully automated, more accurate, faster, and, in some cases, capable of exhibiting more degrees of freedom in patient positioning than their predecessors. Such developments have expanded the role of the treatment couch in radiation therapy.
