Prone Radiotherapy Breast Board with Apertures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current prone breast boards and couches for radiotherapy are inadequate for treating breast cancer patients as they restrict access to regional lymph nodes and cause discomfort due to the need for patients to position their arms above or behind their head, limiting the range of favorable beam access and increasing radiation-induced cardiac and lung toxicity.
Innovation Solution
A breast board and couch system that allows patients to be positioned in a prone position with their arms alongside their body, providing an opening for radiation beam access to the breast and regional lymph nodes, featuring a longitudinal body supporting member, head support, and adjustable arm supporting members to accommodate individual anatomy, and can be attached to a standard imaging or radiotherapy table or couch.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If patients position their arms above or behind their head on current prone breast boards, then the breast can hang freely for irradiation, but patient comfort deteriorates and arm positioning becomes problematic especially for patients who have undergone breast or lymph node surgery
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces arm support members as intermediary structures between the patient's arms and the breast board. These supports accommodate the arms in a comfortable position alongside the body, eliminating the need for arms to be positioned above or behind the head, thereby resolving the contradiction between patient comfort and positioning requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The breast board is segmented into multiple functional components including separate arm support members, head support, and breast support portions. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, with arm supports specifically designed to hold arms comfortably alongside the body while the breast support maintains the necessary aperture for irradiation
2Adaptability or versatility
If current prone breast boards use a single aperture configuration, then the breast can be irradiated, but access to regional lymph nodes is restricted and the range of favorable beam access is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The breast board incorporates multiple apertures segmented into different zones: a first aperture for breast irradiation and a second aperture for lymph node irradiation. This segmentation allows radiation beams to access both the breast and regional lymph nodes effectively, expanding the adaptability of the device for different treatment requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The breast board is designed with multi-functional apertures that can accommodate various beam angles and directions. The first aperture enables breast irradiation while the second aperture provides access to lymph nodes, making the single device universally applicable for both breast and lymph node treatment scenarios
3Object-affected harmful factors
If standard treatment couches are used without specialized breast supports, then the structure remains simple, but radiation beam access to lymph nodes is blocked and collateral radiation to heart and lungs increases
Solution Approach 1:
The breast board acts as an intermediary structure placed on the standard treatment couch. It creates the necessary apertures for beam access to lymph nodes while preventing collateral radiation to heart and lungs by positioning and shaping the apertures appropriately, thus reducing harmful radiation exposure without requiring complete redesign of the treatment couch
Solution Approach 2:
The breast board applies local quality modifications to the treatment couch by creating specifically shaped and positioned apertures in the region where the breast and lymph nodes are located. This localized modification allows favorable beam access to lymph nodes while maintaining the simplicity of the overall couch structure
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided herein is a radiotherapy breast board and couch for use in radiotherapy treatment of breast cancer patients, which are particularly suitable for treating the patient to the breast/thoracic wall and regional lymph nodes in prone position. The radiotherapy breast board and couch comprises a caudal part for supporting the lower body of the patient and a cranial part with supports for the head and non-treated parts of the upper body. The board or couch further provides an opening allowing for the affected breast of the patient to pass through and an opening allowing for the regional lymph nodes to pass trough as said patient lies in a prone position on said board or couch. This opening allows the use of a variety of beam directions to reach the affected region via short radiological path lengths without passing elements of the breast board or couch.