Optimizing neurointerventional procedures: an algorithm for embolization coil detection and automated collimation to enable dose reduction.

Purpose: Monitoring radiation dose and time parameters during radiological interventions is crucial, especially in neurointerventional procedures, such as aneurysm treatment with embolization coils. The algorithm presented detects the presence of these embolization coils in medical images. It establishes a bounding box as a reference for automated collimation, with the primary objective being to enhance the efficiency and safety of neurointerventional procedures by actively optimizing image quality while minimizing patient dose.

Methods: Two distinct methodologies are evaluated in our study. The first involves deep learning, employing the Faster R-CNN model with a ResNet-50 FPN as a backbone and a RetinaNet model. The second method utilizes a classical blob detection approach, serving as a benchmark for comparison.

Results: We performed a fivefold cross-validation, and our top-performing model achieved mean mAP@75 of 0.84 across all folds on validation data and mean mAP@75 of 0.94 on independent test data. Since we use an upscaled bounding box, achieving 100% overlap between ground truth and prediction is not necessary. To highlight the real-world applications of our algorithm, we conducted a simulation featuring a coil constructed from an alloy wire, effectively showcasing the implementation of automatic collimation. This resulted in a notable reduction in the dose area product, signifying the reduction of stochastic risks for both patients and medical staff by minimizing scatter radiation. Additionally, our algorithm assists in avoiding extreme brightness or darkness in X-ray angiography images during narrow collimation, ultimately streamlining the collimation process for physicians.

Conclusion: To our knowledge, this marks the initial attempt at an approach successfully detecting embolization coils, showcasing the extended applications of integrating detection results into the X-ray angiography system. The method we present has the potential for broader application, allowing its extension to detect other medical objects utilized in interventional procedures.