AR Visualization Engine for Radiation Beam Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical planning systems rely heavily on two-dimensional and three-dimensional medical images, requiring surgeons to manually flip through views and imagine a 3D model, which can be cumbersome and prone to errors, lacking effective visualization tools for precise radiation beam alignment and dose planning.
Innovation Solution
The Field Visualization Engine tracks collimator and AR headset poses to generate an Augmented Reality representation of radiation beams, providing real-time or simulated visualizations of beam emanation and interaction with patient anatomy, including mask layers for dose planning and radiation fall-off prediction, ensuring accurate alignment and optimal dose delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If surgeons use conventional 2D and 3D medical images for surgical planning, then they can access medical data, but the process becomes cumbersome and error-prone due to manual navigation through multiple views and slices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent overlays 2D radiation beam trajectory images onto a 3D rendered model of patient anatomy, creating a multi-dimensional visualization that combines planar dose distribution data with spatial anatomical context. This allows surgeons to view beam paths and dose distributions in the context of the actual 3D anatomy without manually navigating through multiple 2D slices.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an augmented reality interface as an intermediary between the raw medical imaging data and the surgeon's decision-making process. This interface automatically processes and displays radiation beam trajectories, dose distributions, and anatomical structures in an integrated visualization, eliminating the need for surgeons to manually correlate information across multiple views.
2Measurement precision
If surgeons manually navigate through multiple views and slices of medical images, then they can analyze radiation beam trajectories, but the process is time-consuming and reduces productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates and pre-renders radiation beam trajectories, dose distributions, and anatomical models before the surgical planning session. During the actual planning process, these pre-processed data are automatically overlaid and integrated in the augmented reality interface, eliminating the need for real-time manual navigation and analysis through multiple image slices.
Solution Approach 2:
By projecting 2D beam trajectory data onto a 3D anatomical model, the system enables surgeons to assess beam alignment and dose distribution accuracy in a single integrated view rather than manually correlating information across multiple 2D slices, significantly reducing planning time while maintaining precision.
3Device complexity
If conventional 2D images are used to visualize radiation beams, then the system is simple, but it lacks immersive visualization and interactive capabilities for precise dose planning
Solution Approach 1:
The augmented reality interface serves multiple functions simultaneously: it displays 2D radiation beam trajectories, renders 3D anatomical models, overlays dose distribution data, and provides interactive manipulation capabilities. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would otherwise require separate systems into a single unified platform.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enhances the simplicity of 2D imaging by adding a third dimension through 3D anatomical rendering and overlaying 2D beam data onto this 3D context. This creates an immersive, interactive visualization that maintains the simplicity of the underlying imaging technology while dramatically increasing its adaptability and information density.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of an apparatus, methods, systems and computer program products described herein are directed to Field Visualization Engine. The Field Visualization Engine tracks one or more collimator poses relative to one or more Augmented Reality (AR) headset device poses. Each respective collimator pose and each respective headset device pose corresponds to a three-dimensional (3D) unified coordinate space (“3D space”). The Field Visualization Engine generates an AR representation of a beam emanating from the collimator based at least on a current collimator pose and a current headset device pose. The Field Visualization Engine further generates an AR visualization of emanation of the beam throughout an AR display of medical data.