{"title":"Comparative evaluation of feature-based and intensity-based algorithms for dosimetric registration in radiotherapy quality assurance using electronic portal imaging devices.","authors":"Meryeme Bellahsaouia, Ibtissam Zidouh, Ouadie Kabach, Deiaa Elaarabi, Elmahjoub Chakir","doi":"10.1007/s12194-026-01031-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12194-026-01031-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To evaluate image registration as a quantitative alternative to the gamma index for VMAT patient-specific quality assurance and to benchmark feature-based against intensity-based registration algorithms. We retrospectively analyzed 93 EPID-verified VMAT arcs using five registration algorithms: three feature-based (SIFT, Thin-Plate Splines, CONCORD) and two intensity-based (B-spline, Demons). We assessed the ability of each algorithm to align absolute dose distributions on a common coordinate grid. Dosimetric agreement was quantified using a dual-parameter metric combining linear regression slope (tolerance 95–105%) and the coefficient of determination [Formula: see text] Standard gamma analysis (3%/3 mm, 90% passing rate) served as the clinical reference. Agreement with gamma-based classification was evaluated using Cohen’s kappa [Formula: see text]. Feature-based methods significantly outperformed intensity-based models. The dose-specific CONCORD algorithm achieved the highest initial agreement with gamma analysis [Formula: see text]. Application of the dual-parameter metric further enhanced diagnostic specificity; specifically, CONCORD’s agreement improved to [Formula: see text] with 95.7% accuracy. In contrast, intensity-based deformable models exhibited poor performance and high false-negative rates. This behavior introduces non-physical dose warping that obscures clinically relevant delivery errors. Registration-based dose comparison offers a robust, quantitative alternative to the gamma index. By utilizing a global affine transformation and dose-specific topological features, the CONCORD algorithm effectively detects localized and systematic discrepancies without the error-masking risks inherent in generic deformable registration. This framework aligns with AAPM TG-307 objectives, offering a more granular and physically intuitive assessment of VMAT delivery fidelity.</p>","PeriodicalId":46252,"journal":{"name":"Radiological Physics and Technology","volume":" ","pages":"626-637"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147311240","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Augmented-reality enhanced ultrasound guidance: a sterile, hands-free approach using commercial augmented reality headsets.","authors":"Thomas Saliba, David Rotzinger, Giuseppe Gullo","doi":"10.1007/s12194-026-01035-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12194-026-01035-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We present a cost-effective method for using commercially available augmented reality (AR) headsets to enable sterile, hands-free ultrasound control. A Meta Quest 3 headset was paired with portable ultrasound probes via USB-C, with the Philips Lumify app sideloaded onto the headset for hand-tracking interaction. This allowed real-time imaging, screen resizing, and repositioning while maintaining sterility, even with surgical gloves. Using the Lumify app AR all of the settings and functionalities, such as gain, depth and Doppler, can be modified as they would be if using the app on a tablet. Image quality matched that of tablets, there was no glare, and remote collaboration was supported. This method requires no hardware beyond an AR headset which runs android and is capable of sideloading applications and an ultrasound probe with an accompanying android app. This proof-of-concept highlights potential for AR-enhanced ultrasound in procedural guidance and teleradiology, offering improved sterility and accessibility.</p>","PeriodicalId":46252,"journal":{"name":"Radiological Physics and Technology","volume":" ","pages":"855-862"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147356288","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Differences in blood flow velocity measurements between 4D-flow MRI and doppler US in rat carotid arteries.","authors":"Sei Yasuda, Mako Ito, Natsuo Banura, Junpei Ueda, Takashi Hashido, Yoshihiro Kamada, Shigeyoshi Saito","doi":"10.1007/s12194-026-01014-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12194-026-01014-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The purpose of this study was to compare flow velocity parameters in rat carotid arteries between 7-T 4D-flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Doppler US. We evaluated differences in six parameters: peak and mean velocities during systole and diastole, pulsatility index (PI), and resistance index (RI). Images of rat carotid arteries were acquired using 7-T MRI and a 7–18 MHz linear array scanner Doppler US. Measurements were obtained 1 cm from the bifurcations of the common, internal, and external carotid arteries. Data were averaged and compared between modalities using unpaired t-tests. MRI tended to measure lower peak and mean flow velocities than Doppler US, with larger differences at higher velocities. No significant differences in the PI or RI were found between MRI and Doppler US (p < 0.05), except for the RI of the external carotid artery. The bias between modalities was smaller for the mean velocities than for the peak velocities. Across all vessels, systolic velocity showed greater variability than diastolic velocity, and peak velocities varied more than mean velocities. This study provides pre-clinical validation data for 7-T 4D-flow MRI compared with Doppler US, highlighting its potential for translational hemodynamic research.</p>","PeriodicalId":46252,"journal":{"name":"Radiological Physics and Technology","volume":" ","pages":"499-508"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147272531","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comparison of small bowel and bladder doses between prone and supine positions in preoperative intensity-modulated radiotherapy for rectal cancer.","authors":"Takuya Hayashi, Mami Ogita, Yuki Nozawa, Masanari Minamitani, Hideomi Yamashita","doi":"10.1007/s12194-026-01051-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12194-026-01051-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Evidence supporting the benefit of the prone position (PP) over the supine position (SP) in preoperative intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for locally advanced rectal cancer remains limited. Furthermore, criteria available at simulation for selecting patients likely to benefit from PP are lacking. This study assessed the dosimetric impact of PP versus SP on the small bowel and bladder and explored factors associated with PP-related dose sparing to identify patients likely to benefit. We retrospectively analyzed simulation CT scans in both PP and SP from consecutive rectal cancer patients treated with preoperative radiotherapy (July 2019–April 2024). Paired IMRT plans were created for each position, and dose-volume parameters for the small bowel and bladder were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Predictors of small bowel dose reduction were assessed using univariable and multivariable regression analyses, including a novel indicator, the ratio of abdominal protrusion, defined as the protrusion at the sacral promontory level in SP divided by that in PP. Among 24 patients, mean small bowel V40Gy was lower in PP (56.2 vs. 72.6 cm3, p = 0.03) and mean bladder V25Gy–V50Gy were consistently lower in PP (all p < 0.01). A lower ratio of abdominal protrusion was associated with greater small bowel V40Gy reduction in univariable and multivariable analyses (p = 0.01 in each). PP reduced high-dose small bowel exposure and mid- to high-dose bladder exposure. CT simulation in both positions to calculate the abdominal protrusion ratio may guide individualized positioning.</p>","PeriodicalId":46252,"journal":{"name":"Radiological Physics and Technology","volume":" ","pages":"771-781"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147730442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The effect of boosted injection of saline on contrast effect in angiography.","authors":"Takashi Iwasaki, Hajime Sakamoto, Masaki Kuwabara, Masashi Saito, Hiroyuki Kobayashi, Shuji Sato, Takashi Omino, Yosuke Kogure, Shinsuke Kyogoku, Michimasa Suzuki","doi":"10.1007/s12194-026-01067-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12194-026-01067-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To evaluate the effect of saline boost injections on angiographic contrast. Angiographic examinations were performed using a SIEMENS ArtisQ Celling (VD11E) system with syngo Workplace (VD20B) and a PRESS DUO elite autoinjector (Nemoto Kyorindo, Tokyo). Standard injection parameters, assuming non-selective angiography from the abdominal aortic bifurcation to the common femoral artery, were 5.0 mL/s for 2.0 s. Five boost conditions were assessed: injection speed of 5.0, 7.0, and 10.0 mL/s with total volumes of 5.0, 10.0, and 15.0 mL (1.0-3.0× standard), and 7.0 and 10.0 mL volumes corresponding to the amount delivered within 1.0 s. Time-enhancement curves (TECs) were generated from identical regions of interest placed in the proximal, middle, and distal portions of a vascular phantom to measure maximum signal intensity and enhancement duration. Additional quantitative analysis was performed using iFlow color-coded maps. Changes in the saline-flush boost volume resulted in minor differences compared with the baseline TECs. At a boost speed of 7.0 mL/s, maximum signal intensity increased by 7.2%, 8.1%, and 7.0% in the proximal, middle, and distal segments. At 10.0 mL/s, increases were 11.5%, 11.3%, and 11.1%, respectively. On iFlow analysis, the reference time-to-peak significantly shortened at 10.0 mL/s-3.49, 4.01, and 4.17 s-compared with 3.68, 4.22, and 4.26 s at baseline (p < 0.01). Boosting double-speed saline injection improved the efficiency of contrast agent delivery to distal regions. Further improvements in injection efficiency may reduce the required amount of contrast agent and the number of frames.</p>","PeriodicalId":46252,"journal":{"name":"Radiological Physics and Technology","volume":" ","pages":"842-854"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147934414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enhancing pancreatic cancer staging with large language models: the role of retrieval-augmented generation.","authors":"Hisashi Johno, Yuki Johno, Akitomo Amakawa, Junichi Sato, Ryota Tozuka, Atsushi Komaba, Hiroaki Watanabe, Hiroki Watanabe, Chihiro Goto, Hiroyuki Morisaka, Hiroshi Onishi, Kazunori Nakamoto","doi":"10.1007/s12194-026-01026-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12194-026-01026-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) is an emerging technique that enhances large language models (LLMs) by retrieving relevant information from reliable external knowledge (REK). Despite its success in various language processing tasks, the clinical application of RAG in radiology is still novel. To evaluate the utility of RAG in radiological staging tasks, we compared the performance of NotebookLM, a RAG-equipped LLM (RAG-LLM), with its internal model, Gemini 2.0 Flash. Using Japan’s current pancreatic cancer staging guideline as REK, we compared three LLM settings—(1) NotebookLM with REK (REK+/RAG+), (2) Gemini 2.0 Flash with REK (REK+/RAG−), and (3) Gemini 2.0 Flash without REK (REK−/RAG−)—in staging 100 fictional pancreatic cancer cases based on CT findings. Staging tasks included assessment of TNM classification, local invasion factors, and resectability classification. The REK+/RAG+ group achieved 70% staging accuracy, outperforming REK+/RAG− (38%) and REK−/RAG− (35%). For TNM classification, REK+/RAG+ reached 80% accuracy, compared to 55% and 50% in REK+/RAG − and REK−/RAG−, respectively. NotebookLM also presented retrieved REK excerpts as rationale, with a retrieval accuracy of 92%. These results suggest that the RAG system implemented in NotebookLM improves LLM staging performance by enabling access to up-to-date medical guidelines. Furthermore, its ability to retrieve and present source evidence enhances transparency and allows users to verify the reliability of model outputs. This study highlights the potential of a specific RAG system (NotebookLM) to support pancreatic cancer staging by combining clinical language interpretation with direct reference to authoritative guidelines, in an idealized and controlled proof-of-concept experimental setting.</p>","PeriodicalId":46252,"journal":{"name":"Radiological Physics and Technology","volume":" ","pages":"593-603"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13253659/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147356237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comprehensive estimation of patient radiation exposure in hip joint surgery using a tissue-equivalent phantom.","authors":"Eriko Koga, Kaori Tominaga, Toshioh Fujibuchi, Shinji Shigemori, Yoshihiro Kozawa, Tokitaka Ueno, Yukihisa Takayama, Kengo Yoshimitsu","doi":"10.1007/s12194-026-01030-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12194-026-01030-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>When a patient undergoes radiographic diagnostic examinations, the physician is required to explain the risks of radiation exposure to the patient in advance. As the number of imaging procedures per patient increases, explanations of the effects of radiation exposure have become increasingly complex. Therefore, we estimated effective doses for patient exposure and examined the usefulness of the cumulative effective dose (CED), which can comprehensively evaluate multiple diagnostic examinations during the informed consent (IC) process. Methods: Using multiple glass dosimeters and an anthropomorphic phantom, cumulative organ doses and CED were calculated for diagnostic examinations performed before and after hip surgery. Results: Individual organ doses did not exceed the threshold for tissue reactions. The CED was less than 100 mSv, indicating that the radiation-induced health effects were classified as “low dose” ,meaning “no acute effects, subsequent additional cancer risk of less than 1%.” Conclusion: CED may serve as an effective tool for communicating radiation dose in relation to health risks. It enables clearer explanations of risks to patients undergoing multiple diagnostic examinations, and we expect that CED will help alleviate their concerns regarding radiographic diagnostic procedures.</p>","PeriodicalId":46252,"journal":{"name":"Radiological Physics and Technology","volume":" ","pages":"615-625"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147366332","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fast 3D whole-body occupational dose estimation in interventional radiology using physics-informed deep learning.","authors":"Hussein Harb, Didier Benoit, Chi-Hieu Pham, Bahaa Nasr, Julien Bert","doi":"10.1007/s12194-026-01043-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12194-026-01043-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Occupational radiation exposure in interventional radiology is spatially heterogeneous and inadequately captured by conventional point-based dosimetry. This study proposes a physics-informed deep learning framework for fast prediction of three-dimensional (3D) physician dose distributions from scattered radiation. Graphics processing unit (GPU)-accelerated Monte Carlo (MC) simulations were performed using the GPU Geant4-based Monte Carlo Simulation platform to generate 3D dose maps under varying X-ray energies, C-arm angulations, and physician configurations. These data were used to train residual and transformer-based 3D U-Net architectures. Model performance was evaluated using voxel-wise error metrics, gamma analysis, and clinically relevant personal dose equivalents. The residual 3D U-Net achieved the best performance, with mean absolute errors below 0.06 nGy and gamma passing rates exceeding 90%. Predicted personal dose equivalents showed close agreement with MC references, enabling anatomically resolved dose estimation for superficial and deep tissues. Average inference time was approximately 0.2 s per sample. This framework enables fast, accurate, and anatomically detailed estimation of occupational dose, addressing key limitations of conventional dosimetry. The results support its potential integration into real-time radiation awareness and guidance systems for improved operator radiation protection in interventional practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":46252,"journal":{"name":"Radiological Physics and Technology","volume":" ","pages":"699-710"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147575794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Basic characteristics of do-it-yourself dosimeter in general radiography system.","authors":"Nao Ichikawa, Atsushi Fukuda, Takuma Hayashi, Taku Kuramoto, Kosuke Matsubara","doi":"10.1007/s12194-026-01034-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12194-026-01034-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study evaluated the basic characteristics of a do-it-yourself dosimeter (DIYD) and its applicability in general radiography systems. An ionization chamber (IC), solid-state detector (SSD), and DIYD were placed 100 cm from the X-ray focus. Incident air kerma ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]) and the rate ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]) were measured as functions of exposure time, tube current, tube voltage, and dosimeter angles to assess [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] linearity, exposure time accuracy, energy dependence, and angular dependence. The [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] were 1.00–1.05 and 0.95–1.04. DIYD showed energy dependence peaking at 36 keV (ratio: 1.01–1.11). Exposure time by DIYD agreed with IC and SSD for ≥ 40 ms. DIYD showed superior angular dependence compared with SSD. DIYD showed characteristics comparable to IC and SSD, indicating its potential for periodic quality control and optimization of patient exposure in general radiography systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":46252,"journal":{"name":"Radiological Physics and Technology","volume":" ","pages":"863-870"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147391153","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kazuhiro Ishida, Ko Sasaki, Kaoru Ono, Yutaka Hirokawa
{"title":"Uncertainty-aware deep learning for classifying colonic fdg-pet uptake using radiomic features.","authors":"Kazuhiro Ishida, Ko Sasaki, Kaoru Ono, Yutaka Hirokawa","doi":"10.1007/s12194-026-01044-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12194-026-01044-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study developed deep learning models to differentiate tumorous from non-tumorous incidental colorectal FDG-PET uptake using radiomic features categories and to evaluate both classification performance and predictive uncertainty. PET data from 80 patients (45 tumorous, 35 non-tumorous) were analyzed. Radiomic features were grouped into morphology, intensity, texture, and all features, and feature selection was performed using LassoCV within each training split. Model development and evaluation used repeated stratified hold-out validation (10 splits; train/test = 80/20) with internal cross-validation and early stopping. Predictive uncertainty was estimated using Monte Carlo dropout with 100 stochastic inferences per test case and assessed using risk–coverage curves and AURC. The All model achieved the highest accuracy (84.8 ± 5.7%) and AUC (0.83 ± 0.08), outperforming single-category models (accuracy < 70%; AUC 0.70–0.74). Uncertainty increased as predicted probabilities approached 0.5, and selective prediction based on uncertainty reduced misclassification risk for the Intensity, Texture, and All models, but not for the Morphology model. These results suggest that integrating multiple radiomic feature categories improves both predictive performance and stability, and that uncertainty-guided decision-making may support safer clinical triage by withholding high-uncertainty cases.</p>","PeriodicalId":46252,"journal":{"name":"Radiological Physics and Technology","volume":" ","pages":"711-720"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147647078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}