Video game GPU used to improve CT scans

Computed tomography or CT scan is one of the most useful tools medicine has today. It allows doctors to look inside out bodies without having to cut them open. One of the latest uses of this technology is a process called Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) which greatly improves the accuracy of traditional radiation therapy. Unfortunately, IGRT also presented some risks but now, technology originally designed for video games is helping improve this life saving technology.

IGRT uses a series of CT scans to target tumors more accurately, and in this way, reduce radiation damage to the surrounding organs and tissue. The drawback is that the repeated use of CT scans may prove harmful due to the radiation involved in the process. Reducing the number of scans helps in managing the radiation levels, but the resulting images aren’t clear enough.

Recently, scientists from the University of California, San Diego (US) developed a process that can reconstruct CT scan images so that fewer of them are needed for IGRT. The process involves using a graphics card or graphics processing unit (GPU) to calculate the data and reconstruct the images. The team used an NVIDIA Tesla C1060 and obtained results of over 70% less radiation exposure.

The team is also working on similar GPU driven algorithms for other imaging applications in an effort to reduce radiation exposure from current scanning technologies.

This is an awesome use of graphics processing technology and I think it’s great that something originally designed for video games, is being used to save lives. Further developments of this and similar processes could eventually lead to improvements on GPUs and graphics cards which would end up benefiting all us gamers by pushing video game technology.

Read [PhysOrg.com] Also read [CNET]