Detection of brachytherapy seeds using 3D ultrasound

Imaging and detection of brachytherapy seeds using transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) remains a challenge for prostate brachytherapy, mainly due to the small size of brachytherapy seeds in relatively low-quality B-mode TRUS images. In this paper, we propose a new solution for brachytherapy seed detection using 3D ultrasound. We use 3D reflected power images computed from ultrasound radio-frequency signals, instead of using conventional B-mode images. Then implanted seeds are detected in 3D local search spaces that are determined by a priori knowledge. Experimental results showed that the proposed solution works well for seed localization in the prostate phantom.