Optimization of Evolutionary Strategy using Island Model to Design HIFU Treatment Plans

treatment planning, HIFU, evolutionary strategy, island model

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is an emerging technique for non-invasive cancer treatment where malignant tissue is destroyed by thermal ablation. The treatment plan consists of a series of HIFU sonications since one sonication destroys only a small volume of tissue. The high-quality treatment plans with a precise HIFU positioning need to be generated to destroy all malignant tissue and prevent damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Here, we present an optimized evolutionary strategy that uses an island model to design HIFU treatment plans using patient-specific material properties and a realistic thermal model. Although the original strategy was able to create high-quality treatment plans, the execution time too high. The proposed version allows finding the solution more than 6-times faster, moreover, with a higher success rate.