Evaluation of delivery locations for a vascular catheter for treatment of a target

A computer-implemented method for evaluating a plurality of candidate delivery locations (130, a to c) for a delivery of a substance by a vascular catheter (200) for treatment of a target (120) within an organ (110) of a subject comprising:

• receiving a three-dimensional model obtained from a three-dimensional medical image of at least a part of the organ (110) of the subject, wherein the three-dimensional model includes arterial lumens,
• determining from the three-dimensional model a vascular cost, VCcdl, for each candidate delivery location (130, a to c) which is related to an accessibility of the candidate delivery location (130, a to c) by a tip (202) of the vascular catheter (200),
• determining, for each candidate delivery location (130, a to c) a target dose uncertainty, wherein:
• the target dose uncertainty is a measure of a likelihood that the substance flowing from the candidate delivery location (130, a to c) towards the target will flow through one or more branches leading into the target (200), and
• the target dose uncertainty is determined comprising the steps:
• obtaining a segment map (310), wherein the segment map (310) is:
• a transverse cross-section of an arterial lumen in the 3D model at the candidate delivery location (130, a to c);
• and
• divided into a plurality of lumen segments (302, a to e);
• predicting, for each candidate delivery location (130, a to c), a release of microparticles from the segment map (310) in a downstream direction, and a trajectory of each microparticle;
• assigning to each lumen segment (302, a to e), a segment target dose fraction, STDF, value that is an indication of the quantity of microparticles released from that lumen segment (302, a to e) that flow into the target (120) compared with total quantity microparticles released from that lumen segment (302, m to p),
• determining from the STDF values, a cluster target dose fraction, CTDF, wherein a cluster (306) is collection of lumen sections (302, b to e) grouped together to form a shape of a catheter tip (202) at a specific location on the segment map (310), and the CTDF is determined from the STDF values of lumen sections (302, b to e) within that cluster (306),
• determining a plurality of the CTDF values for a sample group, wherein the each CTDF of the sample group is determined from a cluster having a different location on the segment map (310), and
• determining from the sample group of CTDF values an uncertainty range for the candidate delivery location (130, a to c), and
• determining the target dose uncertainty from the uncertainty range, wherein the evaluating comprises using a combination of the vascular cost and the target dose uncertainty for each candidate delivery location (130, a to c).