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GPUs Helping To Lower CT Scan Radiation

Posted by kdawson on from the healthy-green-glow dept.

Gwmaw writes with news out of the University of California, San Diego, on the use of GPUs to process CT scan data. Faster processing of noisy data allows doctors to lower the total radiation dose needed for a scan. "A new approach to processing X-ray data could lower by a factor of ten or more the amount of radiation patients receive during cone beam CT scans... With only 20 to 40 total number of X-ray projections and 0.1 mAs per projection, the team achieved images clear enough for image-guided radiation therapy. The reconstruction time ranged from 77 to 130 seconds on an NVIDIA Tesla C1060 GPU card, depending on the number of projections — an estimated 100 times faster than similar iterative reconstruction approaches... Compared to the currently widely used scanning protocol of about 360 projections with 0.4 mAs per projection, [the researcher] says the new processing method resulted in 36 to 72 times less radiation exposure for patients."

7 of 77 comments (clear)

  1. Funny what drives the HPC market... by onionman · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It's remarkable that high performance computing is driven by video games. So, legions of PC enthusiasts and uber-gamers, I salute you for your contributions to technology! P0wn on.

    1. Re:Funny what drives the HPC market... by Jeng · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Neither is Email or internet usage.

      I'm pretty sure the comment was for general usage, which is normally just Email and internet usage with some office apps thrown in. That is what a celeron with 2gigs of ram would be sufficient for.

      Yes, there are many many programs that are used in many fields that would not fit into the celeron with 2 gigs comment. I work in an office environment, we don't need massive processors, we don't need massive video cards, all we need is a low end processor with a good amount of ram.

      That is what I got from reading his comment, but apparently I am in the minority.

      --
      Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
    2. Re:Funny what drives the HPC market... by localman57 · · Score: 4, Funny

      I met one once. I pulled his underware up over his head, then took his lunch money.

  2. CPU speed determines req. radiation amount? by iPhr0stByt3 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So, they pump in all that radiation because the processor is too slow? Doesn't seem right to me. I would think if they could have simply put another $10000 into the machine (adding CPU cycles) to lower the required radiation they would have done that a long time ago. So is the use of a GPU just a side effect of some new technology that allows the machine to estimate or predict the image with a lower radiation dose? That GPUs are more effecient for some operations is nothing new - what's the real breakthrough here?

    1. Re:CPU speed determines req. radiation amount? by Barny · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Pretty much.

      The reconstruction time ranged from 77 to 130 seconds on an NVIDIA Tesla C1060 GPU card, depending on the number of projections –-- an estimated 100 times faster than similar iterative reconstruction approaches, says Jia.

      So in essence they have built a parallel optimised calculation system rather than an iterative one, and we all know the one thing CUDA and OpenCL do VERY well is parallel processing.

      It seems the real win here is the new code, it could run on a TI-82 calculator and still require that level of radiation, its just that its very well suited to GPU to crunch.

      --
      ...
      /me sighs
    2. Re:CPU speed determines req. radiation amount? by FTWinston · · Score: 4, Informative

      The TFA says that this tech is usually used prior to treatment, while the patient is in the treatment position.
      Because processing a limited number of scans into a useful model previously took several hours, they were forced to perform many more scans to get a more accurate picture with which to build their model - because they don't want to leave the patient lying in the scanner for 6 hours prior to treatment.
      With this improvement in processing power, they can produce the model from limited data in a feasable time.

      So the summary does actually describe the breakthrough quite well: It's not a new image processing technique for working with limited data, it's just new hardware allowing that process to be run in a quicker way. Yes they're using a slightly new algorithm, but I doubt that is a massive breakthrough in itself.

  3. lower rad dose by SemperUbi · · Score: 4, Informative

    CT scanning is associated with an increased risk of cancer in children. This development will significantly lower that risk.