title: GPU-based RFA simulation for minimally invasive cancer treatment of liver tumours.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is one of the most popular and well-standardized minimally invasive cancer treatments (MICT) for liver tumours, employed where surgical resection has been contraindicated. Less-experienced interventional radiologists (IRs) require an appropriate planning tool for the treatment to help avoid incomplete treatment and so reduce the tumour recurrence risk. Although a few tools are available to predict the ablation lesion geometry, the process is computationally expensive. Also, in our implementation, a few patient-specific parameters are used to improve the accuracy of the lesion prediction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Advanced heterogeneous computing using personal computers, incorporating the graphics processing unit (GPU) and the central processing unit (CPU), is proposed to predict the ablation lesion geometry. The most recent GPU technology is used to accelerate the finite element approximation of Penne's bioheat equation and a three state cell model. Patient-specific input parameters are used in the bioheat model to improve accuracy of the predicted lesion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A fast GPU-based RFA solver is developed to predict the lesion by doing most of the computational tasks in the GPU, while reserving the CPU for concurrent tasks such as lesion extraction based on the heat deposition at each finite element node. The solver takes less than 3 min for a treatment duration of 26 min. When the model receives patient-specific input parameters, the deviation between real and predicted lesion is below 3 mm.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A multi-centre retrospective study indicates that the fast RFA solver is capable of providing the IR with the predicted lesion in the short time period before the intervention begins when the patient has been clinically prepared for the treatment.
authors.affiliation: NUMA Engineering Services Ltd, Dundalk, Ireland. panchatcharam.mariappan@numa.ie.
authors.forename: Panchatcharam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mariappan
authors.affiliation: NUMA Engineering Services Ltd, Dundalk, Ireland.
authors.forename: Phil
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Weir
authors.affiliation: NUMA Engineering Services Ltd, Dundalk, Ireland.
authors.forename: Ronan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Flanagan
authors.affiliation: Institute for Computer Graphics and Vision, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Voglreiter
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland.
authors.forename: Tuomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Alhonnoro
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland.
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pollari
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Leipzig University Hospital, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moche
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Leipzig University Hospital, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Busse
authors.affiliation: Radbound University Nijmegen Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jurgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Futterer
authors.affiliation: University Clinic of Radiology Graz, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Horst Rupert
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Portugaller
authors.affiliation: Medical Imaging Center of Southwest Finland, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Roberto Blanco
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Sequeiros
authors.affiliation: Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology, Sankt Augustin, Germany.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kolesnik
mesh_terms: D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000379:methods*; D003196:Computer Graphics; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D055420:Perfusion Imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Bioheat equation; GPU; Perfusion; RFA solver; Radiofrequency ablation