Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35570099›Full record

ArticleZeitschrift fur medizinische Physik2022

Neural network-assisted automated image registration for MRI-guided adaptive brachytherapy in cervical cancer.

Stefan Ecker, Lukas Zimmermann, Gerd Heilemann, Yury Niatsetski, Maximilian Schmid, Alina Emiliana Sturdza, Johannes Knoth, Christian Kirisits, Nicole Nesvacil

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Zeitschrift fur medizinische Physik, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Systematic review of artificial intelligence in brachytherapy.Journal of contemporary brachytherapy · 2026
    Review
  3. A review of artificial intelligence in brachytherapy.Journal of applied clinical medical physics · 2025
    Review
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Stefan EckerDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: stefan.ecker@meduniwien.ac.at.
Lukas ZimmermannFaculty of Health, University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt, Austria; Competence Center for Preclinical Imaging and Biomedical Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt, Austria.
Gerd HeilemannDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Yury NiatsetskiR&D Elekta Brachytherapy, Veenendaal, The Netherlands.
Maximilian SchmidDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Alina Emiliana SturdzaDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Johannes KnothDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Christian KirisitsDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Nicole NesvacilDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Medical University of Vienna · ATFachhochschule Wiener Neustadt · AT

Funding

Austrian Science Fund FWF KLI 695
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeIn image-guided adaptive brachytherapy (IGABT) a quantitative evaluation of the dosimetric changes between fractions due to anatomical variations, can be implemented via rigid registration of images from subsequent fractions based on the applicator as a reference structure. With available treatment planning systems (TPS), this is a manual and time-consuming process. The aim of this retrospective study was to automate this process. A neural network (NN) was trained to predict the applicator structure from MR images. The resulting segmentation was used to automatically register MR-volumes. MATERIAL AND

methodsDICOM images and plans of 56 patients treated for cervical cancer with high dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy were used in the study. A 2D and a 3D NN were trained to segment applicator structures on clinical T2-weighted MRI datasets. Different rigid registration algorithms were investigated and compared. To evaluate a fully automatic registration workflow, the NN-predicted applicator segmentations (AS) were used for rigid image registration with the best performing algorithm. The DICE coefficient and mean distance error between dwell positions (MDE) were used to evaluate segmentation and registration performance.

resultsThe mean DICE coefficient for the predicted AS was 0.70 ± 0.07 and 0.58 ± 0.04 for the 3D NN and 2D NN, respectively. Registration algorithms achieved MDE errors from 8.1 ± 3.7 mm (worst) to 0.7 ± 0.5 mm (best), using ground-truth AS. Using the predicted AS from the 3D NN together with the best registration algorithm, an MDE of 2.7 ± 1.4 mm was achieved.

conclusionUsing a combination of deep learning models and state of the art image registration techniques has been demonstrated to be a promising solution for automatic image registration in IGABT. In combination with auto-contouring of organs at risk, the auto-registration workflow from this study could become part of an online-dosimetric interfraction evaluation workflow in the future.

Indexed as

BrachytherapyUterine Cervical NeoplasmsFemaleHumansImage Processing, Computer-AssistedMagnetic Resonance ImagingNeural Networks, ComputerRetrospective StudiesAuto SegmentationBrachytherapyDeep LearningImage registration

Identifiers

PMID35570099
PMCPMC9948828
OpenAlexW4280579609

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.