Configurable Phantom for Adaptive Radiotherapy Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods lack a comprehensive and convenient tool for medical physicists to perform end-to-end verification of online adaptive radiotherapy systems, which is crucial for ensuring the safety and effectiveness of these systems.
Innovation Solution
A configurable phantom system that includes a housing and a target with multiple components, allowing for various configurations to simulate changes in patient anatomy, enabling comprehensive end-to-end testing of adaptive radiotherapy systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional testing methods are used for adaptive radiotherapy systems, then individual subsystems can be tested, but comprehensive end-to-end verification of the integrated system cannot be performed
Solution Approach 1:
The phantom is divided into multiple target components that can be independently configured and manipulated. Each target component represents a different anatomical configuration, allowing the system to test various scenarios by assembling different combinations of components.
Solution Approach 2:
The phantom serves multiple functions: it can be configured to represent different patient anatomies, support various imaging modalities, and enable comprehensive end-to-end testing of the entire adaptive radiotherapy workflow including imaging, contouring, plan optimization, and dose verification.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed phantom design is used, then manufacturing is simple, but the phantom cannot simulate changes in patient anatomy required for adaptive radiotherapy verification
Solution Approach 1:
The target is divided into multiple discrete target components that can be independently manipulated. These components can be added, removed, or repositioned to create different anatomical configurations, enabling the phantom to simulate various patient anatomy changes while maintaining a relatively simple base structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The phantom transitions from a static design to a dynamic one where target components can be manipulated between different configurations. This allows the same physical phantom to represent multiple anatomical states, providing adaptability without requiring multiple separate phantoms.
3Reliability
If extensive commissioning tests are performed, then system safety and effectiveness are ensured, but the process is time-consuming and complex
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the target into multiple components with known geometric relationships, the commissioning process can systematically evaluate different anatomical configurations and transformations. This structured approach ensures comprehensive safety verification while organizing the testing process efficiently.
Solution Approach 2:
The phantom comes pre-configured with target components that have known geometric relationships and transformations. This preliminary preparation of test configurations allows commissioning to proceed more efficiently, as the geometric parameters and expected transformations are already established, reducing the time needed for setup and measurement.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided for evaluating an adaptive radiotherapy system. An apparatus includes a housing formed from a first material having a first appearance under a selected imaging modality and a target that is inserted into the housing. The target includes a plurality of target components formed from a second material having a second appearance under the selected imaging modality. The plurality of target components are manipulable to assume at least a first configuration comprising a first subset of the plurality of target components and a second configuration comprising a second subset of the plurality of target components that is different from the first subset of the plurality of target components.