A Multi-GPU Framework for Simulating High-Resolution Biomechanical Head-and-Neck Deformations

Jack Neylon, Patrick Kupelian, and Anand Santhanam

Studies in Health Technology and Informatics

NextMed / Medicine Meets Virtual Reality

Manhattan Beach, CA | 19 Feb 2014

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to enable a multi-GPU computational framework for simulating high-resolution biomechanical head and neck deformations for radiotherapy dose monitoring purposes. The biomechanical model incorporates subject-specific young’s modulus and shear modulus properties and is actuated using daily patient positioning images. The computational tasks of the biomechanical model were off-loaded to a multi-GPU framework enabling real-time biomechanical deformations. The results show the biomechanical head and neck model could be deformed at a rate of 20-40 frames per second. The model deformations indicated changes in the stress at different parts of the treatment as the head and neck posture varied from one treatment fraction to another.