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Systematic calibration of an integrated x-ray and optical tomography system for preclinical radiation research

Purpose: The cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) guided small animal radiation research platform (SARRP) has been developed for focal tumor irradiation, allowing laboratory researchers to test basic biological hypotheses that can modify radiotherapy outcomes in ways that were not feasible previously. CBCT provides excellent bone to soft tissue contrast, but is incapable of differentiating tumors from surrounding soft tissue. Bioluminescence tomography (BLT), in contrast, allows direct visualization of even subpalpable tumors and quantitative evaluation of tumor response. Integration of BLT with CBCT offers complementary image information, with CBCT delineating anatomic structures and BLT differentiating luminescent tumors. This study is to develop a systematic method to calibrate an integrated CBCT and BLT imaging system which can be adopted onboard the SARRP to guide focal tumor irradiation. Methods: The integrated imaging system consists of CBCT, diffuse optical tomography (DOT), and BLT. The anatomy acquired from CBCT and optical properties acquired from DOT serve as a priori information for the subsequent BLT reconstruction. Phantoms were designed and procedures were developed to calibrate the CBCT, DOT/BLT, and the entire integrated system. Geometrical calibration was performed to calibrate the CBCT system. Flat field correction was performed to correct the nonuniform response of the optical imaging system. Absolute emittance calibration was performed to convert the camera readout to the emittance at the phantom or animal surface, which enabled the direct reconstruction of the bioluminescence source strength. Phantom and mouse imaging were performed to validate the calibration. Results: All calibration procedures were successfully performed. Both CBCT of a thin wire and a euthanized mouse revealed no spatial artifact, validating the accuracy of the CBCT calibration. The absolute emittance calibration was validated with a 650 nm laser source, resulting in a 3.0% difference between simulated and measured signal. The calibration of the entire system was confirmed through the CBCT and BLT reconstruction of a bioluminescence source placed inside a tissue-simulating optical phantom. Using a spatial region constraint, the source position was reconstructed with less than 1 mm error and the source strength reconstructed with less than 24% error. Conclusions: A practical and systematic method has been developed to calibrate an integrated x-ray and optical tomography imaging system, including the respective CBCT and optical tomography system calibration and the geometrical calibration of the entire system. The method can be modified and adopted to calibrate CBCT and optical tomography systems that are operated independently or hybrid x-ray and optical tomography imaging systems.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Edema and Seed Displacements Affect Intraoperative Permanent Prostate Brachytherapy Dosimetry

Purpose: We sought to identify the intraoperative displacement patterns of seeds and to evaluate the correlation of intraoperative dosimetry with day 30 for permanent prostate brachytherapy. Methods and Materials: We analyzed the data from 699 patients. Intraoperative dosimetry was acquired using transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) and C-arm cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Intraoperative dosimetry (minimal dose to 40%-95% of the volume [D{sub 40}-D{sub 95}]) was compared with the day 30 dosimetry for both modalities. An additional edema-compensating comparison was performed for D{sub 90}. Stranded seeds were linked between TRUS and CBCT using an automatic and fast linking procedure. Displacement patterns were analyzed for each seed implantation location. Results: On average, an intraoperative (TRUS to CBCT) D{sub 90} decline of 10.6% ± 7.4% was observed. Intraoperative CBCT D{sub 90} showed a greater correlation (R{sup 2} = 0.33) with respect to Day 30 than did TRUS (R{sup 2} = 0.17). Compensating for edema, the correlation increased to 0.41 for CBCT and 0.38 for TRUS. The mean absolute intraoperative seed displacement was 3.9 ± 2.0 mm. The largest seed displacements were observed near the rectal wall. The central and posterior seeds showed less caudal displacement than lateral and anterior seeds. Seeds that were implanted closer to the base showed more divergence than seeds close to the apex. Conclusions: Intraoperative CBCT D{sub 90} showed a greater correlation with the day 30 dosimetry than intraoperative TRUS. Edema seemed to cause most of the systematic difference between the intraoperative and day 30 dosimetry. Seeds near the rectal wall showed the most displacement, comparing TRUS and CBCT, probably because of TRUS probe–induced prostate deformation.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Low Cerebral Blood Volume Identifies Poor Outcome in Stent Retriever Thrombectomy

BackgroundMechanical thrombectomy (MT) is an efficient treatment of acute stroke caused by large-vessel occlusion. We evaluated the factors predicting poor clinical outcome (3-month modified Rankin Scale, mRS >2) although MT performed with modern stent retrievers.MethodsWe prospectively collected the clinical and imaging data of 105 consecutive anterior circulation stroke patients who underwent MT after multimodal CT imaging. Patients with occlusion of the internal carotid artery and/or middle cerebral artery up to the M2 segment were included. We recorded baseline clinical, procedural and imaging variables, technical outcome, 24-h imaging outcome and the clinical outcome. Differences between the groups were studied with appropriate statistical tests and binary logistic regression analysis.ResultsLow cerebral blood volume Alberta stroke program early CT score (CBV-ASPECTS) was associated with poor clinical outcome (median 7 vs. 9, p = 0.01). Lower collateral score (CS) significantly predicted poor outcome in regression modelling with CS = 0 increasing the odds of poor outcome 4.4-fold compared to CS = 3 (95% CI 1.27–15.5, p = 0.02). Lower CBV-ASPECTS significantly predicted poor clinical outcome among those with moderate or severe stroke (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.68–1, p = 0.05) or poor collateral circulation (CS 0–1, OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.48–0.90, p = 0.009) but not among those with mild strokes or good collaterals.ConclusionsCBV-ASPECTS estimating infarct core is a significant predictor of poor clinical outcome among anterior circulation stroke patients treated with MT, especially in the setting of poor collateral circulation and/or moderate or severe stroke.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Percutaneous ureteral biopsy: safety and diagnostic yield

Purpose: To evaluate safety and diagnostic yield of percutaneous CT-guided biopsy of extrarenal upper urinary tract lesions. Materials and methods: Retrospective review of our institutional database of image-guided biopsies yielded 44 CT-guided percutaneous biopsies in 44 unique patients that targeted ureteral (30, 68%) or other non-renal upper urinary tract lesions (14, 32%) between January 1, 2000 and May 1, 2017. Indications, pre-biopsy imaging, biopsy technique, peri-procedural antithrombotic use, complications including bleeding defined by Society of Interventional Radiology criteria, pathology results, and subsequent imaging were reviewed up to 3 months after the procedure to evaluate safety and diagnostic yield. Results: Mean patient age was 66 (range 27–88) and 23/44 patients were male. The majority (34/44) of lesions were sampled with an 18-gauge biopsy device via a 17-gauge introducer needle, and the remaining 10/44 lesions were sampled with a 19/20 gauge system. The mean number of core samples obtained was 4 (range 2–10). No major complications occurred. Specifically, no patient developed a urine leak or urinary obstruction. Minor complications occurred in 3/44 (7%) biopsies, all retroperitoneal hemorrhages that did not require transfusion or other intervention. Biopsy was adequate for pathologic examination in 41 of 44 (93%) cases. Among patients undergoing surgical resection, biopsy diagnosis was concordant with surgical pathology in 9/10 (90%) cases and discordant in 1/10 (10%). Conclusion: CT-guided percutaneous biopsy of upper urinary tract lesions can be performed safely, with high diagnostic yield, and with a high rate of concordance on subsequent surgical pathology.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

WE-G-BRA-06: Application of Systems and Control Theory-Based Hazard Analysis to Radiotherapy

Purpose: The process of delivering radiation occurs in a complex socio-technical system heavily reliant on human operators. Furthermore, both humans and software are notoriously challenging to account for in traditional hazard analysis models. High reliability industries such as aviation have approached this problem through using hazard analysis techniques grounded in systems and control theory. The purpose of this work is to apply the Systems Theoretic Accident Model Processes (STAMP) hazard model to radiotherapy. In particular, the System-Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) approach is used to perform a hazard analysis of a proposed on-line adaptive cranial radiosurgery procedure that omits the CT Simulation step and uses only CBCT for planning, localization, and treatment. Methods: The STPA procedure first requires the definition of high-level accidents and hazards leading to those accidents. From there, hierarchical control structures were created followed by the identification and description of control actions for each control structure. Utilizing these control structures, unsafe states of each control action were created. Scenarios contributing to unsafe control action states were then identified and translated into system requirements to constrain process behavior within safe boundaries. Results: Ten control structures were created for this new CBCT-only process which covered the areas of hospital and department management, treatment design and delivery, and vendor service. Twenty three control actions were identified that contributed to over 80 unsafe states of those control actions resulting in over 220 failure scenarios. Conclusion: The interaction of people, hardware, and software are highlighted through the STPA approach. STPA provides a hierarchical model for understanding the role of management decisions in impacting system safety so that a process design requirement can be traced back to the hazard and accident that it is intended to mitigate. Varian Medical Systems, Inc.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

First-principles Hubbard U approach for small molecule binding in metal-organic frameworks

We apply first-principles approaches with Hubbard U corrections for calculation of small molecule binding energetics to open-shell transition metal atoms in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Using density functional theory with van der Waals dispersion-corrected functionals, we determine Hubbard U values ab initio through an established linear response procedure for M-MOF-74, for a number of different metal centers (M = Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu). While our ab initio U values differ from those used in previous work, we show that they result in lattice parameters and electronic contributions to CO{sub 2}-MOF binding energies that lead to excellent agreement with experiments and previous results, yielding lattice parameters within 3%. In addition, U-dependent calculations for an example system, Co-MOF-74, suggest that the CO{sub 2} binding energy grows monotonically with the value of Hubbard U, with the binding energy shifting 4 kJ/mol (or 0.041 eV) over the range of U = 0-5.4 eV. These results provide insight into an approximate but computationally efficient means for calculation of small molecule binding energies to open-shell transition metal atoms in MOFs and suggest that the approach can be predictive with good accuracy, independent of the cations used and the availability of experimental data.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

TU-D-209-02: A Backscatter Point Spread Function for Entrance Skin Dose Determination

Purpose: To determine the distribution of backscattered radiation to the skin resulting from a non-uniform distribution of primary radiation through convolution with a backscatter point spread function (PSF). Methods: A backscatter PSF is determined using Monte Carlo simulation of a 1 mm primary beam incident on a 30 × 30 cm × 20 cm thick PMMA phantom using EGSnrc software. A primary profile is similarly obtained without the phantom and the difference from the total provides the backscatter profile. This scatter PSF characterizes the backscatter spread for a “point” primary interaction and can be convolved with the entrance primary dose distribution to obtain the total entrance skin dose. The backscatter PSF was integrated into the skin dose tracking system (DTS), a graphical utility for displaying the color-coded skin dose distribution on a 3D graphic of the patient during interventional fluoroscopic procedures. The backscatter convolution method was validated for the non-uniform beam resulting from the use of an ROI attenuator. The ROI attenuator is a copper sheet with about 20% primary transmission (0.7 mm thick) containing a circular aperture; this attenuator is placed in the beam to reduce dose in the periphery while maintaining full dose in the region of interest. The DTS calculated primary plus backscatter distribution is compared to that measured with GafChromic film and that calculated using EGSnrc Monte-Carlo software. Results: The PSF convolution method used in the DTS software was able to account for the spread of backscatter from the ROI region to the region under the attenuator. The skin dose distribution determined using DTS with the ROI attenuator was in good agreement with the distributions measured with Gafchromic film and determined by Monte Carlo simulation Conclusion: The PSF convolution technique provides an accurate alternative for entrance skin dose determination with non-uniform primary x-ray beams. Partial support from NIH Grant R01-EB002873 and Toshiba Medical Systems Corp.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Improved Modelling for the Assembly Discontinuity Factors in the APEC Method

Modern reactor analysis of light water reactor depends largely on a two-step procedure based on the simplified equivalence theory (SET). Consequently, the resulting homogenized two-group cross-section (XS) and associated discontinuity factor (DF) are subject to noticeable, intrinsic uncertainties. In our previous study, we introduced the albedo-corrected parameterized equivalence constants (APEC) method, which is a new leakage correction method applicable to the fuel assembly homogenized two-group XS of the standard two-step procedure. In the APEC method, fuel assembly two-group XS is expressed as a simple polynomial function of assembly-wise current-to-flux ratio (CFR), and it was demonstrated that two-group XSs can be well corrected during a nodal calculation and the nodal accuracy is improved a lot. However, since the conventional assembly discontinuity factor (ADF) is still used in the current APEC method, a small but non-negligible error is unavoidable. Therefore, it is necessary to include improved DF model in the APEC method for a higher accuracy. The functionalized discontinuity factor (FDF) using the definition of CFR was investigated by authors before the development of the APEC method, where it was motivated by the boundary perturbation theory by F. Rahnema. However, in our previous study on FDF, lattice calculations were performed only with one-dimensional two-group diffusion equation and could not be applied to actual core analysis. In this paper, feasibility study of DF functionalization is performed based on a 2-D method of characteristics (MOC) lattice code, DeCART2D.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Robust and efficient overset grid assembly for partitioned unstructured meshes

This paper presents a method to perform efficient and automated Overset Grid Assembly (OGA) on a system of overlapping unstructured meshes in a parallel computing environment where all meshes are partitioned into multiple mesh-blocks and processed on multiple cores. The main task of the overset grid assembler is to identify, in parallel, among all points in the overlapping mesh system, at which points the flow solution should be computed (field points), interpolated (receptor points), or ignored (hole points). Point containment search or donor search, an algorithm to efficiently determine the cell that contains a given point, is the core procedure necessary for accomplishing this task. Donor search is particularly challenging for partitioned unstructured meshes because of the complex irregular boundaries that are often created during partitioning. Another challenge arises because of the large variation in the type of mesh-block overlap and the resulting large load imbalance on multiple processors. Desirable traits for the grid assembly method are efficiency (requiring only a small fraction of the solver time), robustness (correct identification of all point types), and full automation (no user input required other than the mesh system). Additionally, the method should be scalable, which is an important challenge due to the inherent load imbalance. This paper describes a fully-automated grid assembly method, which can use two different donor search algorithms. One is based on the use of auxiliary grids and Exact Inverse Maps (EIM), and the other is based on the use of Alternating Digital Trees (ADT). The EIM method is demonstrated to be more efficient than the ADT method, while retaining robustness. An adaptive load re-balance algorithm is also designed and implemented, which considerably improves the scalability of the method.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Integration of Heat Transfer, Stress, and Particle Trajectory Simulation

Calabazas Creek Research, Inc. developed and currently markets Beam Optics Analyzer (BOA) in the United States and abroad. BOA is a 3D, charged particle optics code that solves the electric and magnetic fields with and without the presence of particles. It includes automatic and adaptive meshing to resolve spatial scales ranging from a few millimeters to meters. It is fully integrated with CAD packages, such as SolidWorks, allowing seamless geometry updates. The code includes iterative procedures for optimization, including a fully functional, graphical user interface. Recently, time dependent, particle in cell capability was added, pushing particles synchronically under quasistatic electromagnetic fields to obtain particle bunching under RF conditions. A heat transfer solver was added during this Phase I program. Completed tasks include: (1) Added a 3D finite element heat transfer solver with adaptivity; (2) Determined the accuracy of the linear heat transfer field solver to provide the basis for development of higher order solvers in Phase II; (3) Provided more accurate and smoother power density fields; and (4) Defined the geometry using the same CAD model, while maintaining different meshes, and interfacing the power density field between the particle simulator and heat transfer solvers. These objectives were achieved using modern programming techniques and algorithms. All programming was in C++ and parallelization in OpenMP, utilizing state-of-the-art multi-core technology. Both x86 and x64 versions are supported. The GUI design and implementation used Microsoft Foundation Class.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

TU-C-17A-01: A Data-Based Development for Pratical Pareto Optimality Assessment and Identification

Purpose: To develop an efficient Pareto optimality assessment scheme to support plan comparison and practical determination of best-achievable practical treatment plan goals. Methods: Pareto efficiency reflects the tradeoffs among competing target coverage and normal tissue sparing in multi-criterion optimization (MCO) based treatment planning. Assessing and understanding Pareto optimality provides insightful guidance for future planning. However, current MCO-driven Pareto estimation makes relaxed assumptions about the Pareto structure and insufficiently account for practical limitations in beam complexity, leading to performance upper bounds that may be unachievable. This work proposed an alternative data-driven approach that implicitly incorporates the practical limitations, and identifies the Pareto frontier subset by eliminating dominated plans incrementally using the Edgeworth Pareto hull (EPH). The exactness of this elimination process also permits the development of a hierarchical procedure for speedup when the plan cohort size is large, by partitioning the cohort and performing elimination in each subset before a final aggregated elimination. The developed algorithm was first tested on 2D and 3D where accuracy can be reliably assessed. As a specific application, the algorithm was applied to compare systematic plan quality for lower head-and-neck, amongst 4 competing treatment modalities. Results: The algorithm agrees exactly with brute-force pairwise comparison and visual inspection in low dimensions. The hierarchical algorithm shows sqrt(k) folds speedup with k being the number of data points in the plan cohort, demonstrating good efficiency enhancement for heavy testing tasks. Application to plan performance comparison showed superiority of tomotherapy plans for the lower head-and-neck, and revealed a potential nonconvex Pareto frontier structure. Conclusion: An accurate and efficient scheme to identify Pareto frontier from a plan cohort has been developed. This implementation would guide generating good yet practically achievable plan quality goals for further planning. The observation of a systematic performance bias and a nonconvex Pareto frontier warrants further investigation.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

MagAO imaging of long-period objects (MILO). I. A benchmark M dwarf companion exciting a massive planet around the sun-like star HD 7449

We present high-contrast Magellan adaptive optics images of HD 7449, a Sun-like star with one planet and a long-term radial velocity (RV) trend. We unambiguously detect the source of the long-term trend from 0.6–2.15 μm at a separation of ∼0.″54. We use the object’s colors and spectral energy distribution to show that it is most likely an M4–M5 dwarf (mass ∼0.1–0.2 M{sub ⊙}) at the same distance as the primary and is therefore likely bound. We also present new RVs measured with the Magellan/MIKE and Planet Finder Spectrograph spectrometers and compile these with archival data from CORALIE and HARPS. We use a new Markov chain Monte Carlo procedure to constrain both the mass (>0.17 M{sub ⊙} at 99% confidence) and semimajor axis (∼18 AU) of the M dwarf companion (HD 7449B). We also refine the parameters of the known massive planet (HD 7449Ab), finding that its minimum mass is 1.09{sub −0.19}{sup +0.52} M{sub J}, its semimajor axis is 2.33{sub −0.02}{sup +0.01} AU, and its eccentricity is 0.8{sub −0.06}{sup +0.08}. We use N-body simulations to constrain the eccentricity of HD 7449B to ≲0.5. The M dwarf may be inducing Kozai oscillations on the planet, explaining its high eccentricity. If this is the case and its orbit was initially circular, the mass of the planet would need to be ≲1.5 M{sub J}. This demonstrates that strong constraints on known planets can be made using direct observations of otherwise undetectable long-period companions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Imaging Features of Radiofrequency Ablation with Heat-Deployed Liposomal Doxorubicin in Hepatic Tumors

IntroductionThe imaging features of unresectable hepatic malignancies in patients who underwent radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in combination with lyso-thermosensitive liposomal doxorubicin (LTLD) were determined.Materials and MethodsA phase I dose escalation study combining RFA with LTLD was performed with peri- and post- procedural CT and MRI. Imaging features were analyzed and measured in terms of ablative zone size and surrounding penumbra size. The dynamic imaging appearance was described qualitatively immediately following the procedure and at 1-month follow-up. The control group receiving liver RFA without LTLD was compared to the study group in terms of imaging features and post-ablative zone size dynamics at follow-up.ResultsPost-treatment scans of hepatic lesions treated with RFA and LTLD have distinctive imaging characteristics when compared to those treated with RFA alone. The addition of LTLD resulted in a regular or smooth enhancing rim on T1W MRI which often correlated with increased attenuation on CT. The LTLD-treated ablation zones were stable or enlarged at follow-up four weeks later in 69 % of study subjects as opposed to conventional RFA where the ablation zone underwent involution compared to imaging acquired immediately after the procedure.ConclusionThe imaging features following RFA with LTLD were different from those after standard RFA and can mimic residual or recurrent tumor. Knowledge of the subtle findings between the two groups can help avoid misinterpretation and proper identification of treatment failure in this setting. Increased size of the LTLD-treated ablation zone after RFA suggests the ongoing drug-induced biological effects.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Use of High-Frequency Jet Ventilation for Percutaneous Tumor Ablation

Purpose: To report feasibility and potential benefits of high-frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) in tumor ablations techniques in liver, kidney, and lung lesions. Methods: This prospective study included 51 patients (14 women, mean age 66 years) bearing 66 tumors (56 hepatic, 5 pulmonary, 5 renal tumors) with a median size of 16 ± 8.7 mm, referred for tumor ablation in an intention-to-treat fashion before preoperative anesthesiology visit. Cancellation and complications of HFJV were prospectively recorded. Anesthesia and procedure duration, as well as mean CO{sub 2} capnea, were recorded. When computed tomography guidance was used, 3D spacial coordinates of an anatomical target <2 mm in diameter on 8 slabs of 4 slices of 3.75-mm slice thickness were registered. Results: HFJV was used in 41 of 51 patients. Of the ten patients who were not candidate for HFJV, two patients had contraindication to HFJV (severe COPD), three had lesions invisible under HFJV requiring deep inspiration apnea for tumor targeting, and five patients could not have HFJV because of unavailability of a trained anesthetic team. No specific complication or hypercapnia related to HFJV were observed despite a mean anesthetic duration of 2 h and ventilation performed in procubitus (n = 4) or lateral decubitus (n = 6). Measured internal target movement was 0.3 mm in x- and y-axis and below the slice thickness of 3.75 mm in the z-axis in 11 patients. Conclusions: HFJV is feasible in 80 % of patients allowing for near immobility of internal organs during liver, kidney, and lung tumor ablation.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Comparing Effective Doses During Image-Guided Core Needle Biopsies with Computed Tomography Versus C-Arm Cone Beam CT Using Adult and Pediatric Phantoms

PurposeTo compare the effective doses of needle biopsies based on dose measurements and simulations using adult and pediatric phantoms, between cone beam c-arm CT (CBCT) and CT.MethodEffective doses were calculated and compared based on measurements and Monte Carlo simulations of CT- and CBCT-guided biopsy procedures of the lungs, liver, and kidney using pediatric and adult phantoms.ResultsThe effective doses for pediatric and adult phantoms, using our standard protocols for upper, middle and lower lungs, liver, and kidney biopsies, were significantly lower under CBCT guidance than CT. The average effective dose for a 5-year old for these five biopsies was 0.36 ± 0.05 mSv with the standard CBCT exposure protocols and 2.13 ± 0.26 mSv with CT. The adult average effective dose for the five biopsies was 1.63 ± 0.22 mSv with the standard CBCT protocols and 8.22 ± 1.02 mSv using CT. The CT effective dose was higher than CBCT protocols for child and adult phantoms by 803 and 590 % for upper lung, 639 and 525 % for mid-lung, and 461 and 251 % for lower lung, respectively. Similarly, the effective dose was higher by 691 and 762 % for liver and 513 and 608 % for kidney biopsies.ConclusionsBased on measurements and simulations with pediatric and adult phantoms, radiation effective doses during image-guided needle biopsies of the lung, liver, and kidney are significantly lower with CBCT than with CT.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Fusion Imaging Reduces Radiation and Contrast Medium Exposure During Endovascular Revascularization of Iliac Steno-Occlusive Disease

Introduction: To evaluate feasibility, safety and efficacy of fusion imaging in order to guide endovascular revascularization of iliac steno-occlusive disease. Materials and Methods: Retrospectively, we identified twenty-six patients (20 male, mean age 63 ± 8y; Rutherford II-V) who underwent revascularization of a chronic total occlusion (n = 6; 23%) or severe stenosis (n = 20; 77%) of the common and/or external iliac artery. Median lesion length was 33 mm (IQR 20–60). In one group of patients (NEW; n = 11), fusion imaging with 2-D/3-D registration was used to guide revascularization. No baseline digital subtraction angiography (DSA) had been acquired in these patients. In another group of patients (OLD; n = 15), no fusion imaging had been utilized and at least one DSA run had been performed to guide the procedure. In both groups, final DSA of the treated lesions was performed. Number of DSA runs, radiation and contrast medium exposure, technical success (residual stenosis < 30%) and complications were analyzed. Results: Median DSA runs needed in OLD for guidance were n = 2 (IQR 2–3) and in NEW n = 0 (IQR 0–0; p = 0.001). Compared to OLD, median dose area product (DAP) was reduced by 17,118 mGy*cm{sup 2} (IQR 10,407–23,614; p = 0.016) if fusion imaging guidance had been used (NEW). Based on the median DAP of the final angiogram in NEW, median DAP reduction was 6007 mGy*cm{sup 2} (IQR 5012–16,105; p = 0.1). Median total contrast medium volume injected in NEW was 45 ml (IQR 30–90) and in OLD 120 ml (IQR 100–140; p = 0.001). Technical success was 100% for both groups. In 1/27 patients (3.7%) a minor complication (embolism) occurred. Conclusion: Fusion imaging proved to be feasible as well as safe and significantly reduces radiation and contrast medium exposure during endovascular revascularization of iliac steno-occlusive disease.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

SU-C-204-07: Radiation Therapy as a Potential Treatment for Obesity: Initial Data from a Preclinical Investigation

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of Yttrium-90 (90Y) radionuclide therapy as a potential treatment for obesity in a porcine model. As the only appetite-stimulating hormone, localized targeting of ghrelin-producing X/A cells in the fundus of the stomach using 90Y may reduce serum ghrelin levels and decrease hunger. Methods: Under approval of the University of Tennessee IACUC, 8 young female pigs aged 12–13 weeks and weighing 21.8–28.1 Kg were included in this study. Six animals underwent transfemoral angiography as part of a two-day procedure involving: (1) infusion of 99mTc-MAA, followed by nuclear scintigraphy and contrast-enhanced CT for treatment-planning and (2) administration of resin 90Y microspheres into the stomach fundus. Calibrated 90Y activities were infused into the main left gastric and the gastric artery arising from the splenic to yield predetermined fundal absorbed doses. Control animals underwent a sham procedure with saline and contrast. Weekly animal weight and serum ghrelin were measured along with post-euthanasia histologic analyses of mucosal integrity and ghrelin immunoreactive cell-density. Results: 90Y radioembolization was administered to six pigs in dosages from 46.3 to 105.1 MBq resulting in average fundal absorbed doses between 35.5 and 91.9 Gy. No animal showed any signs of pain or GI complication through the duration of the study. Ghrelin immunoreactive cell-density was significantly lower in treated vs. control animals in both the stomach fundus (13.5 vs 34.8, P < 0.05) and body (11.2 vs 19.8, P < 0.05). A trend towards decreased weight gain in treated animals as well as a decrease in explanted stomach volume was also noted. Conclusion: The safety and technical feasibility of radiation therapy using 90Y radioembolization as a potential treatment for obesity has been demonstrated at fundal absorbed doses over 90 Gy. Preliminary data is suggestive of short-term safety and potential efficacy, however, further animal studies are required. Project was funded by SIRTex medical ltd.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Modeling the Swift BAT trigger algorithm with machine learning

To draw inferences about gamma-ray burst (GRB) source populations based on Swift observations, it is essential to understand the detection efficiency of the Swift burst alert telescope (BAT). This study considers the problem of modeling the Swift/BAT triggering algorithm for long GRBs, a computationally expensive procedure, and models it using machine learning algorithms. A large sample of simulated GRBs from Lien et al. is used to train various models: random forests, boosted decision trees (with AdaBoost), support vector machines, and artificial neural networks. The best models have accuracies of ≳97% (≲3% error), which is a significant improvement on a cut in GRB flux, which has an accuracy of 89.6% (10.4% error). These models are then used to measure the detection efficiency of Swift as a function of redshift z, which is used to perform Bayesian parameter estimation on the GRB rate distribution. We find a local GRB rate density of n{sub 0}∼0.48{sub −0.23}{sup +0.41} Gpc{sup −3} yr{sup −1} with power-law indices of n{sub 1}∼1.7{sub −0.5}{sup +0.6} and n{sub 2}∼−5.9{sub −0.1}{sup +5.7} for GRBs above and below a break point of z{sub 1}∼6.8{sub −3.2}{sup +2.8}. This methodology is able to improve upon earlier studies by more accurately modeling Swift detection and using this for fully Bayesian model fitting.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗