High-performance computing with graphics hardware for medical physics applications

大量的数值方法被用来解决医学物理学中的问题，从纯粹的分析方法到蒙特卡罗技术。这些数值方法在放射肿瘤学中的剂量计算以及所有图像处理任务中都是必不可少的，包括放射学和核医学中的断层图像重建。数值解的精确度通常随着用于描述问题物理的模型的复杂性而增加。例如，蒙特卡罗技术为剂量计算问题提供了最准确的解决方案，因为它们基于基本的物理过程。然而，与物理丰富的模型相关的计算负担和较长的执行时间通常与临床应用程序不兼容，而临床应用程序通常需要接近实时的执行。为了在临床环境中部署物理丰富、更准确的算法，我的研究小组开发了基于图形处理单元(GPU)的高性能计算方法。我们开发了一种公认的专业知识，可以使医学物理问题适应这些大规模并行设备，使用创新的策略来显著加快先进的剂量计算和断层扫描重建算法。在这些以前主要在放射肿瘤学方面取得的成就的基础上，我们计划继续这一研究计划，以进一步开发放射学和核医学的创新应用。总体目标是将先进的物理模型集成到医学物理应用中，以便在可接受的时间范围内获得更好、更准确的解决方案。

A vast array of numerical methods are used to solve problems in Medical Physics, ranging from purely analytical approaches to Monte Carlo techniques. These numerical methods are essential for instance in dose calculation in radiation oncology and in all image processing tasks, including tomographic image reconstruction in radiology and nuclear medicine. The accuracy of numerical solutions typically grows with the complexity of the model used to describe the physics of the problem. Monte Carlo techniques for example provide the most accurate solutions to dose calculation problems because they are based on fundamental physics processes. However, the computational burden and long execution times associated with physics-rich models are typically not compatible with clinical applications, which often require near real-time execution. In order to deploy physics-rich, more accurate algorithms in clinical environments, my research group has developed high-performance computing approaches based on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). We have developed a recognized expertise in adapting Medical Physics problems to these massively parallel devices, using innovative strategies to significantly accelerate advanced dose calculation and tomographic reconstruction algorithms. Building upon these previous achievements made mostly in Radiation Oncology, we plan to continue this research program to further develop innovative applications in Radiology and Nuclear Medicine. The overall objective is to integrate advanced physics models into Medical Physics applications in order to reach better, more accurate solutions in acceptable timeframes.