Patient specific corotated FEM simulation and gelatin phantom for prostate brachytherapy

Brachytherapy is a common therapy for prostate cancer in which radioactive seeds are inserted in the prostate by means of long needles. Steering these needles such that the seeds arrive at the predetermined places in the prostate without damaging other organs is a challenging task. In this paper we propose an approach that simultaneously develops patient specific simulation models for the needle insertion problems as well as a patient specific phantom for practical evaluation. A novel method for developing a fully 3D phantom of the pelvic region using 3D printing technology and gelatin is presented. Simulation models of brachytherapy based on finite elements have been established in the open source framework SOFA and allow to study needle deflection and needle paths. This combined approach allows an evaluation of the simulated results by means of the experiments.