Image processing in radiotherapy

Data acquisition, transferring and elaboration are critically important steps to create clinically useful 3D images obtained from CT, MRI, SPECT, PET, RX, ... It is not possible to define a general image acquisition protocol for therapy planning system (RTPS) but it is important to know and to define the scanner parameters for different patients and pathologies, according to the precision and the accuracy of the global system (imaging, treatment planning systems, ...). Very powerful RTPS don't work in the correct way without efficient image transferring and data communication. General criteria of image network connections will be presented. The problems connected with image archiving and communication environment will be presented together to the definitions of the segmentation techniques, image registration and fusion, 2D and 3D image visialization and the most important sources of error during the radiation treatment. Italian technological state of the art of the most important TP systems used by Medical Physicists in radiotherapy applications will be presented and discussed. The state of the art of different RTPS workstations will be presented and discussed: particularly, attention will be given to image connections and post processing in radiotherapy.