An application of visible human database in radiotherapy: tutorial for image guided external radiotherapy (TIGER)

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Radiotherapy
• Anatomy Education

Background:

• Accurate dose delivery in radiotherapy relies on precise target volume definition.
• Contouring anatomical structures for radiotherapy planning presents challenges due to inter-specialist variability.
• The tutorial for image guided external radiotherapy (TIGER) software is introduced to address these contouring challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the TIGER software, a tool designed for training in radiotherapy contouring.
• To enhance the learning and reproducibility of anatomical structure contouring for treatment planning.
• To provide a digital resource for practicing contouring skills using cross-sectional anatomical images.

Main Methods:

• TIGER utilizes the Visible Human Project dataset, featuring CT-VH images and anatomical contours.
• The software includes an Anatomic tutorial for self-learning axial anatomy, a Contouring tutorial for practice and testing, and Teacher's tools for custom content creation.
• The TIGER database covers six major anatomical sections and includes 432 CT-VH images and 1189 contours of 134 structures.

Main Results:

• TIGER offers an interactive platform for learning axial anatomy relevant to CT interpretation.
• The software facilitates practice and testing of contouring procedures for anatomical structures and lymphatic drainage areas.
• TIGER provides a database of anatomical images and contours accessible via the ESTRO website.

Conclusions:

• TIGER serves as an interactive, cross-sectional anatomical resource for interpreting CT scans in radiotherapy.
• The software promotes a 'drill and practice' approach to enhance the reproducibility of contouring in clinical practice.
• TIGER aims to standardize and improve the accuracy of target volume definition in external beam radiotherapy.