Determining ablation probe configuration

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a medical system () comprising a processor (). Execution of the machine executable () instructions causes a processor () to: receive () three-dimensional medical image data () descriptive of a subject (); receive () a desired ablation volume (), wherein the desired ablation volume is registered to the three-dimensional medical image data; receive () one or more protected volumes (); generate () a discrete set of ablation probe positions (); receive () a discrete set of ablation patterns (); initialize () a composite ablation binary mask (); and initialize () a sequential ablation probe configuration list (). Execution of the machine executable instructions further causes the processor to iteratively generate the sequential ablation probe configuration list by repeatedly: determining () an unablated volume () by comparing the composite ablation binary mask to the desired ablation volume; determining () a chosen ablation probe configuration () using a chosen objective function () dependent upon the one or more protected volumes, the unablated volume, the discrete set of ablation patterns, and the discrete set of ablation probe positions; update () the composite ablation binary mask by calculating a union between the composite ablation binary mask and the one of the discrete set of ablation patterns located at the one of the discrete set of ablation probe positions; and add () the chosen ablation probe configuration to the sequential ablation probe configuration list.