On the advancement and software support of decision-making in focused ultrasound therapy: Advancement and software support of decision-making in FUS

Focused ultrasound therapy (FUS) is a modern and promising way for minimally invasive cancer treatment. Recent advances in treatment technology, bio-physical models and numerical simulation methods gave rise to a significant curative potential. However, clinical routine of FUS still features classical planning approaches, which widely fail in exploiting these possibilities. In contrast, the structure of FUS planning problems strongly suggests interactive multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) concepts in order to improve treatment efficiency and quality. This research work introduces an MCDM approach to FUS planning and explains how to bridge the conceptual gap between the clinical state of the art and this new planning paradigm from a practitioner’s perspective.