Mining Gammaplan: Using The Lgp Database To Automate Radiosurgery Documentation





Keywords: gamma knife, registry, software, outcome, dose planning

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Abstract

     Manual documentation of radiosurgical procedures can be tedious and prone to human error.   LGP 8.0+ includes functionality to allow direct connectivity to the treatment planning database, creating an ability to build third-party applications using LGP as a datastore.
     The purpose of this project was to explore the data model of the LGP database and use it to build a software application for automating treatment documentation.
      
     PostgreSQL 8.3 was used to characterize the LGP data model. A multi-tier software architecture using C# and the .NET framework was created for the document automation application. Npgsql was used to achieve connectivity with the LGP database. Data tier components were developed to query the LGP database and read exported DVH files. Integration-tier components using LINQ constructs were implemented to combine this data into unique datasets. Report-generating classes in combination with document templates created in Word and Excel were used to create the final, formatted documentation. Presentation-tier classes were used to create an unobtrusive software interface to allow selection of procedures for documentation.
     The LGP data model has an abundance of information on treatment plans and delivered treatments, from the patient-level down to the individual shot level. Our application as implemented is able to automate much of the routine treatment documentation in our clinic and present it in a professional, reader-friendly format. No unwanted behavior has been detected in the operation of the treatment planning system while using the application. The presented multi-tier software architecture is easily modified for a variety of possible third-party applications.
     This is a retrospective study.
     The database access functionality included in LGP 8.0+ allows it to serve as a data store for a variety of third-party applications.
     The presented software architecture can serve a variety of potential purposes, including secondary dose calculations and research study support. Modifying the LGP database to directly include measurements such as DVH data would simplify the process required for LGP users to create their own third-party software applications.


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