Tools to analyse and display variations in anatomical delineation

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiotherapy Technology
• Image Analysis

Background:

• Anatomical delineation variations in radiotherapy, stemming from inter-observer differences and image specifics, hinder geometric accuracy.
• Quantifying spatial variability in delineated contours is crucial for validating radiotherapy planning and review processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate software tools for quantifying spatial variations in delineated anatomical structures for radiotherapy.
• To facilitate the exchange and analysis of 3D delineated structures using Extensible Markup Language (XML).

Main Methods:

• Development of a software suite for manipulating and analyzing 3D delineated structures.
• Utilizing Extensible Markup Language (XML) for data exchange with radiotherapy systems.
• Deriving statistics on contour spatial variations and mapping them onto a reference structure.

Main Results:

• A suite of tools was created to quantify spatial variability in delineated contours.
• The tools enable the derivation of statistics on contour variations for radiotherapy structures.
• Demonstrated use of the tools with a sample dataset and integration with the SWAN treatment plan review system.

Conclusions:

• The developed software tools address a significant impediment in geometrically-accurate radiotherapy by quantifying delineation variations.
• These tools support the validation of inter-observer and repeat-imaging studies, enhancing radiotherapy precision.
• Integration with existing radiotherapy planning and review systems facilitates practical application and improved treatment outcomes.