CPAP Lung Stabilization for Precise Radiation Targeting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Therapeutic radiation beams used to treat malignancies in thoracic or abdominal regions face challenges in accurately targeting moving tumors due to respiratory motion, leading to potential damage to healthy tissues.
Innovation Solution
The Steady-Site apparatus employs continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to stabilize the target site by expanding the lungs and chest cavity, reducing organ motion, and using a controlled radiation beam with a smaller cross-section to minimize exposure to healthy tissues, allowing for precise delivery of radiation to the tumor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the radiation beam is made sufficiently large to cover the moving malignancy throughout irradiation, then the malignancy remains within the beam cross section, but healthy tissue exposure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically tracks the position of the malignancy during respiratory motion and adjusts the radiation beam position in real-time to maintain precise targeting while keeping the beam cross-section narrow, thereby avoiding the need to enlarge the beam to accommodate tumor motion
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses real-time imaging and tracking to monitor malignancy position during irradiation, providing feedback that enables dynamic beam adjustment to maintain accurate targeting throughout the respiratory cycle
2Measurement precision
If the radiation beam is controlled to follow motion of the malignancy during irradiation, then targeting accuracy is maintained, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary tracking mechanism that monitors malignancy position and translates it into beam positioning commands, simplifying the control architecture while maintaining precision through a dedicated intermediate tracking system
3Measurement precision
If the radiation beam is shuttered on and off in synchrony with respiratory motion, then radiation doses are delivered only when malignancy is at the correct location, but treatment time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts beam positioning to continuously track the malignancy throughout the respiratory cycle, eliminating the need for periodic shuttering and allowing continuous irradiation while maintaining precision
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces collateral damage to healthy tissues and enables more accurate targeting of the tumor by determining a smaller internal target volume, improving radiation therapy outcomes and reducing exposure to healthy tissues.
Implementation Method 1
providing continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to a patient during a medical procedure to be performed at a target site in the thoracic or abdominal regions of the patient's body
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus for performing a procedure at a target site of a patient's body, the apparatus comprising: a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) apparatus that provides CPAP to the patient's lungs; a medical device for performing the procedure at the target site; and a controller that controls the CPAP apparatus to provide CPAP to the patient's lungs during performance of the procedure.