Particle Beam Spot Delivery Visualization for Dose Deviation Audits

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing radiotherapy systems lack the capability to accurately track and visualize deviations in particle beam treatments at the individual spot level, leading to potential inaccuracies in dose delivery and equipment calibration.

Innovation Solution

A visualization system is introduced to illustrate the differences between planned and delivered radiation doses at the spot level, providing a 3D representation of deviations in dose amount, location, or other characteristics, enabling users to audit treatments and adjust dosage for improved accuracy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If particle beam therapy is delivered using Pencil Beam Scanning to provide superior dose distribution, then the dose to organs at risk is reduced, but the complexity of tracking and visualizing delivery accuracy at the spot level increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedose delivery accuracyVSAvoidvisualization system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The treatment area is divided into discrete spots, with each spot tracked individually for dose delivery accuracy. The visualization system segments the complex 3D treatment data into manageable spot-level components that can be independently analyzed and displayed, making the overall system more tractable while maintaining high measurement precision

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transforms complex 3D spot delivery data into a simplified 2D visual representation on a display device. By mapping three-dimensional treatment spots onto a two-dimensional plane with color-coded deviation indicators, the system reduces visual complexity while preserving essential accuracy information for audit purposes

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Measurement precision

If detailed tracking of each treatment spot is implemented, then measurement precision of dose delivery is improved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring deviations increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespot-level dose tracking precisionVSAvoiddeviation detection complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses color-coded indicators to represent dose delivery deviations at each spot. Different colors correspond to different ranges of deviation from the planned dose, transforming complex numerical measurements into intuitive visual signals that are easy to detect and interpret at a glance

Inventive Principle:
Principle #32Color changes

Solution Approach 2:

The visualization system creates a simplified graphical copy or representation of the actual 3D spot delivery data. This visual model replicates the essential information about dose deviations in an accessible format that reduces the cognitive load of analyzing raw measurement data while maintaining measurement precision

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentEP4656237A1Spot delivery visualization for particle beam radiotherapy
Publication Date: 2025.12.03 ELEKTA AB
  • EP4656237A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4656237A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4656237A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Systems and methods for presenting visual results of a particle beam treatment delivery, including visualizing a deviation for an amount and a location of a particle beam treatment dose, are discussed. An example system may: obtain planning information of a planned particle beam treatment, as planned to be provided to treatment spots located in a treatment area of a patient; obtain delivery information of an actual delivered particle beam treatment to the treatment spots; and determine an applicable dose deviation between a planned amount of radiation and a delivered amount of radiation for each of the treatment spots. The system may present a visualization that represents the treatment spots and the applicable dose deviation, at each of the treatment spots, such as with a three-dimensional representation that uses colors or shading to identify the applicable dose deviation.