Reconstruction of applicator positions from multiple-view images for accurate superficial hyperthermia treatment planning

In the current clinical practice, prior to superficial hyperthermia treatments (HT), temperature probes are placed in tissue to document a thermal dose. To investigate whether the painful procedure of catheter placement can be replaced by superficial HT planning, we study if the specific absorption rate (SAR) coverage is predictive for treatment outcome. An absolute requirement for such a study is the accurate reconstruction of the applicator setup. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of the applicator setup reconstruction from multiple-view images. The accuracy of the multiple-view reconstruction method has been assessed for two experimental setups using six lucite cone applicators (LCAs) representing the largest array applied at our clinic and also the most difficult scenario for the reconstruction. For the two experimental setups and 112 distances, the mean difference between photogrametry reconstructed and manually measured distances was 0.25 ± 0.79mm (mean±1 standard deviation). By a parameter study of translation T (mm) and rotation R (°) of LCAs, we showed that these inaccuracies are clinically acceptable, i.e. they are either from ±1.02 mm error in translation or ±0.48° in rotation, or combinations expressed by 4.35R 2 + 0.97T 2 = 1. We anticipate that such small errors will not have a relevant influence on the SAR distribution in the treated region. The clinical applicability of the procedure is shown on a patient with a breast cancer recurrence treated with reirradiation plus superficial hyperthermia using the six-LCA array. The total reconstruction procedure of six LCAs from a set of ten photos currently takes around 1.5 h. We conclude that the reconstruction of superficial HT setup from multiple-view images is feasible and only minor errors are found that will have a negligible influence on treatment planning quality.

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