Breathing Cycle Synchronization for Radiation Delivery Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional radiotherapy systems face challenges in accurately delivering radiation to moving targets due to the movement of both the gantry and patient components, often resulting in increased radiation exposure to healthy tissues, as existing methods either require auxiliary devices or rely on gating techniques that may not fully account for target motion.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize a motion detection device to identify periodic treatment opportunities and synchronize burst mode radiation delivery with the patient's breathing cycle, providing timing data to the patient to enhance targeting accuracy and minimize exposure to healthy tissues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If gating techniques are used to deliver radiation only when the target is in a specific position, then radiation delivery accuracy to the target is improved, but treatment time is increased and healthy tissue exposure is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic breathing cycles of the patient as a rhythm to synchronize radiation delivery. Instead of waiting for specific gating windows, the system delivers radiation in bursts that coincide with predictable periods when the target is in the desired position, utilizing the natural periodic motion to create a rhythm-based delivery schedule
Solution Approach 2:
The system predicts future target positions based on observed breathing patterns and prepares the radiation delivery system in advance. By analyzing previous breathing cycles, the system determines when the target will be in the optimal position and schedules the radiation burst accordingly, rather than reacting after the fact
2Manufacturing precision
If gating techniques are used to deliver radiation only when the target is in a specific position, then radiation delivery accuracy to the target is improved, but exposure to healthy tissues is increased
Solution Approach 1:
By synchronizing radiation delivery with the periodic breathing cycles, the system concentrates radiation delivery into specific windows when the target is in the desired position, reducing scattered exposure to healthy tissues compared to continuous or gate-based approaches
Solution Approach 2:
The system skips non-optimal periods and delivers radiation quickly during predicted optimal windows. By rushing through the radiation delivery during the predicted treatment opportunity, the system minimizes the time healthy tissues are exposed to radiation while maintaining accuracy
3Manufacturing precision
If auxiliary devices are used to track target position and shape, then radiation delivery accuracy is improved, but device complexity is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the patient's own breathing motion as the tracking mechanism. Instead of requiring external tracking devices, the natural physiological breathing pattern itself serves as the reference for predicting target position, simplifying the overall system architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback from observed breathing patterns to predict future target positions. By continuously monitoring and using this information to adjust delivery timing, the system achieves accuracy without requiring complex auxiliary tracking equipment
Data Source
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AI summary
Some aspects include a system (100) and method (500) for receiving (510) an indication of occurrences of a substantially periodic treatment opportunity for a target volume of a patient from a motion detection device, the treatment opportunity being a period of time the target volume is in a position to be irradiated according to a burst mode treatment plan to be administered by a radiotherapy device; determining (S515) a future treatment opportunity for a target volume of a patient; beginning synchronization (S520) of a prescribed delivery period of burst mode irradiation and the future treatment opportunity; presenting (S535), to the patient, an indication of timing data indicative of a time until the prescribed delivery period of burst mode irradiation will occur; and irradiating (S545) the target volume during the synchronization of the future treatment opportunity and the prescribed delivery period of burst mode irradiation.