3D visualization of radiosurgical treatment plans - Experience with Java3D and VTK

In radiosurgery, high energy beams are used to irradiate a tumor region and to deliver a therapeutic dose. A robotic radiosurgery system can use a large number of beams starting at different points around the patient and oriented towards the tumor. Treatment planning consists of finding a set of beams that efficiently delivers the dose subject to clinical and physical constraints. Conventionally, the evaluation of treatment plans is based on two-dimensional graphics. To assess the plan quality and to understand what makes a beam efficient under a certain clinical objective, we have developed a three-dimensional visualization tool. In this paper we will briefly present the tool and our experience with using Java3D and VTK for its implementation.