Probability modelling of a surgical probe for tumour detection

Probability functions for the output counts from a radiation detector probe are needed to implement Bayesian detection strategies or to assess performance of the probe. Methods are presented for simulating a surgical probe designed for tumour detection to obtain statistical information for modelling probability functions of output data. Statistical models of pharmaceutical uptake in normal organs and tumours were estimated from animal and human data, and these models were combined with a digitised human torso phantom to create a large set of simulated patients. With the simulated patients and with a spatial map of the probe response, computer simulations of intraoperative probe measurements provided a large set of simulated probe data. Probability models derived from these data using maximum-likelihood methods helped to formulate the detection strategy and to evaluate the performance of the surgical probe.