Method for filtering erroneous pixels in a thermal therapy control system

A system for thermal therapy, comprising:

• a thermal therapy applicator, configured to deliver a thermal therapy dose to a target volume within a patient's body;
• and
• a computer having at least a processor, a data store and a data communication interface;
• the computer configured and arranged to execute in said processor, machine-readable instructions, and to operate on data obtained over said data communication interface and stored in said data store;
• the computer further configured and arranged as above to:
• (i) receive, at a first point in time, a first cross-sectional slice of temperature data for pixels corresponding to respective spatial locations in the target volume;
• (ii) determine whether each pixel in the first cross-sectional slice is masked or unmasked;
• (iii) determine whether a respective measured temperature of a first unmasked pixel in the first cross-sectional slice is higher than a maximum temperature limit;
• (iv) when the respective measured temperature at the first unmasked pixel in the first cross-sectional slice is higher than the maximum temperature limit, increasing a respective pixel counter associated with the first unmasked pixel in the first cross-sectional slice,
• (v) when the respective pixel counter associated with the first unmasked pixel is higher than a persistent threshold count, calculate an average temperature difference between a first measured temperature at the first unmasked pixel in the first cross-sectional slice and measured temperatures at neighboring pixels in the first cross-sectional slice;
• (vi) apply a mask to the first unmasked pixel when an absolute value of the average temperature difference is greater than a maximum temperature difference;
• (vii) repeat steps (iii)-(vi) for each unmasked pixel remaining in the first cross-sectional slice;
• and
• (viii) determine the respective measured temperature at only the unmasked pixels remaining after step (vii);
• and
• the computer further configured to stop the delivery of the thermal therapy to the target volume when the respective measured temperature at each unmasked pixel has reached a minimum therapeutic temperature.