SU-D-18A-02: Towards Real-Time On-Board Volumetric Image Reconstruction for Intrafraction Target Verification in Radiation Therapy.

PURPOSE To expedite on-board volumetric image reconstruction from limited-angle kV-MV projections for intrafraction verification. METHODS A limited-angle intrafraction verification (LIVE) system has recently been developed for real-time volumetric verification of moving targets, using limited-angle kV-MV projections. Currently, it is challenged by the intensive computational load of the prior-knowledge-based reconstruction method. To accelerate LIVE, we restructure the software pipeline to make it adaptable to model and algorithm parameter changes, while enabling efficient utilization of rapidly advancing, modern computer architectures. In particular, an innovative two-level parallelization scheme has been designed: At the macroscopic level, data and operations are adaptively partitioned, taking into account algorithmic parameters and the processing capacity or constraints of underlying hardware. The control and data flows of the pipeline are scheduled in such a way as to maximize operation concurrency and minimize total processing time. At the microscopic level, the partitioned functions act as independent modules, operating on data partitions in parallel. Each module is pre-parallelized and optimized for multi-core processors (CPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs). RESULTS We present results from a parallel prototype, where most of the controls and module parallelization are carried out via Matlab and its Parallel Computing Toolbox. The reconstruction is 5 times faster on a data-set of twice the size, compared to recently reported results, without compromising on algorithmic optimization control. CONCLUSION The prototype implementation and its results have served to assess the efficacy of our system concept. While a production implementation will yield much higher processing rates by approaching full-capacity utilization of CPUs and GPUs, some mutual constraints between algorithmic flow and architecture specifics remain. Based on a careful analysis of the prototype performance, it will be feasible to resolve such issues through appropriate algorithmic modifications or special-purpose hardware, thus enabling target verification in seconds with the LIVE system. This work was partially supported by a research grant from Varian Medical Systems.