Objective For hepatic microwave ablation (MWA) of different liver tumors, optimal needle positioning can be automatically computed by the optimization algorithm to produce complete destruction of the tumor, with a minimum volume of healthy tissue damaged. An optimization algorithm for surgical planning is proposed based on the 3D graphic information of tumor. Methods First, we considered the shape of the lesion is an ellipsoid taken the needle orientation as its major axis. Then, the smallest ellipsoid with the tumor totally contained inside was generated by changing the needle positioning continuously. Finally, we evaluated the optimization algorithm by the ablation efficiency. Results For the ellipsoids which had the same shape with the ‘ablation ellipsoid’, the ablation efficiency could reach more than 99.5%. For the others, the ablation efficiency depended on its shape and the type of needle. Conclusions All the results demonstrated the validity and feasibility of the optimization algorithm. It was suitable for not only different tumors but also different types of needle.
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