RHyThM, a tool for analysis of PDOS formatted hyperthermia treatment data generated by the BSD2000/3D system

One of the systems used by hyperthermia (HT) groups for heating tumours in the pelvic region is the BSD2000 system. Previous versions of the BSD2000 operate on a PDOS machine and the majority of the currently installed BSD2000/3D systems are still running under PDOS. Availability of the PDOS formatted treatment data provided by the BSD2000/3D has some difficulties. To facilitate analysis of the PDOS formatted treatment data generated by the BSD2000/3D a programme, called RHyThM (Rotterdam Hyperthermia Thermal Modulator) has been created. The purpose of RHyThM is first to read and check the integrity and validity of the treatment data for each measurement in time and space as provided by the BSD2000/3D and secondly to register a tissue type, based on computer tomography information, for each temperature probe position. Prior to any analyses, RHyThM shows the temperature profiles enabling the user to check on probe movement and to correct for unrealistically high temperature gradients in time and space. Subsequently, this approved data set is saved in a 'mother-file' for future on-demand thermal dose analyses. A unique feature of RHyThM is that it also shows all radiofrequency (RF) power signals for inspection. Finally, to make a quick assessment of the quality of the applied HT-treatment, RHyThM reports several temperature indices for bladder, vagina and rectum as well as RF-power related quantities. In summary, RHyThM is considered a valuable tool as it quickly provides a quality index per treatment, which serves as input for the preparation of the next treatment. Further, it makes verified and improved primary data sets accessible for further analysis with advanced statistical programmes.