Composite Imaging Slice Registration for Adaptive Radiation Therapy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing radiation therapy treatment plans are challenged by changes in the position of target tumors during therapy delivery, leading to misalignment between pre-treatment imaging and actual tumor location due to movements such as heart motion or respiration, which can result in inaccurate radiation delivery and damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
Innovation Solution
An adaptive image-guided therapy delivery system that uses contemporaneous imaging, including sagittal and coronal 2D slices, to rapidly acquire and register imaging information, allowing for real-time adjustments of the therapy protocol to align the radiation beam with the actual tumor position, using techniques like deformable vector fields and machine learning for precise registration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If pre-treatment imaging is used to create a treatment plan, then the treatment plan can be developed in advance, but the position of the target tumor may change during therapy delivery leading to misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously acquires imaging data during radiation therapy delivery and uses this feedback to update the treatment plan in real-time. Imaging slices are obtained at multiple time points during the session, and the system adjusts beam positioning based on detected tumor movement, ensuring continuous alignment between the therapy beam and the actual tumor location.
Solution Approach 2:
The treatment system transitions from a static pre-treatment plan to a dynamic adaptive plan that adjusts during therapy delivery. The system rapidly acquires and processes imaging slices at different time points, allowing the treatment protocol to be updated in real-time to compensate for tumor motion caused by respiration, heart motion, or other physiological processes.
2Speed
If rapid imaging acquisition is used to track tumor movement, then real-time adjustment is enabled, but the complexity of image registration and processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the complex 3D volumetric imaging problem into multiple 2D slice acquisitions at different time points. By processing individual slices rather than entire volumes, the system reduces computational complexity while maintaining the ability to track tumor movement through time-series analysis of slice positions and orientations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses 2D imaging slices as simplified representations (copies) of the 3D tumor volume at different time points. These slice copies are sufficient for tracking tumor movement and updating beam positioning without requiring full 3D reconstruction, thereby reducing processing complexity while maintaining accuracy.
3Measurement precision
If multiple imaging slices are acquired at different time points, then tumor movement can be detected, but the time required for image acquisition and processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system acquires imaging slices at periodic time intervals during radiation therapy delivery. This periodic sampling captures tumor movement at key moments without requiring continuous imaging, balancing the need for accurate motion detection with the constraint of treatment time. The system processes these periodically acquired slices to update beam positioning between acquisitions.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and methods are provided for registering images. The systems and methods perform operations comprising: receiving, at a first time point during a given radiation session, a first imaging slice comprising an object, the first imaging slice corresponding to a first plane; accessing, at the first time point during the given radiation session, a composite imaging slice corresponding to the first plane, the composite imaging slice being generated using a plurality of imaging slices obtained prior to the first time point; spatially registering the first imaging slice and the composite imaging slice; determining movement of the object using the spatially registered first imaging slice and the composite imaging slice; and generating an updated therapy protocol to control delivery of a therapy beam based on the determined movement.