Image synthesis for MRI-only radiotherapy treatment planning

International audienceElectron density information, usually obtained from computed tomography (CT) Hounsfield units, is critical for modern radiation therapy treatment planning. However, CT scans have limited ability to differentiate different types of soft tissue, which has motivated the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to improve treatment accuracy in radiation oncology. While challenging, the generation of synthetic-CT from MRI opens up opportunities for improved patient outcomes, reduced healthcare costs, fusion of functional and structural information, and real-time imaging during treatment through combined MRI-linear accelerators. This chapter presents an overview of synthetic-CT generation, quality assurance, and deployment. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved