Speaker
Dr
Thibault Frisson
(Centre Léon Bérard)
Description
Monte Carlo simulation is an important tool in medical physics to understand and analyse data taken from medical devices. It is also useful to assist the development of new medical devices and optimise their use.
GATE, a Geant4 Application, has been developed since 2001, initially for emission tomography (PET and SPECT) simulations. It encapsulates the GEANT4 libraries in order to achieve a modular, versatile, scripted simulation toolkit adapted to the field of nuclear medicine. In particular, GATE provides the capability for modelling time dependent phenomena such as detector movements or source decay kinetics, thus allowing the simulation of time curves under realistic acquisition conditions. It includes well-validated physics models, geometry modelling tools convenient for complex scanner geometries, models for detector electronic.
The version 6 of the GATE simulation platform is built on the previous developments and will be released publicly at the end of 2009. The code has been consolidated and the computational efficiency of GATE has been enhanced. The platform has also been extended to new applications such as modelling of CT imaging or radiotherapy and hadrontherapy treatments. For these applications, new tools have been developed, for example, to easily calculate the deposited dose distribution inside a patient described by a CT image following an intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) photon beam, or a proton/carbon ion beam irradiation. The Geant4 hadronic physic processes with flexible models and cross-section selection are included and tested towards complete simulation of IMRT hadrontherapy. GATE v6 should thus become an invaluable simulation tool for assisting in the development of imaging-assisted radiotherapy and on-line dose control strategies.
Summary
The version 6 of the GATE simulation platform will be released publicly at the end of 2009. The code has been consolidated and the computational efficiency of GATE has been enhanced. The platform has also been extended to new applications such as modelling of CT imaging or radiotherapy and hadrontherapy treatments.
Keymords
GATE, PET, SPECT, radiotherapy, hadrontherapy, CT imaging
| Are you a Memeber of the Geant4 Collaboration (yes/no) | no |
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Author
Dr
Thibault Frisson
(Centre Léon Bérard)
