Dose Map Deformation for Adaptive Radiotherapy Planning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current radiation therapy planning systems, such as IMRT, do not effectively account for anatomical changes during treatment, leaving oncologists without clear guidance on when to adapt treatment plans, which can be resource-intensive and costly.
Innovation Solution
A method for dose management that involves establishing a spatial registration transformation between previous and current images of a region of interest, computing the magnitude of deformation, and applying a transformation to the dose distribution map if deformation criteria are met, allowing for updated fluence vector computation through least-squares optimization, thereby adapting treatment plans only when necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If treatment plans are frequently adapted to account for anatomical changes, then treatment accuracy is improved, but resource consumption and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring anatomical changes through image registration and deformation analysis, then automatically determining when treatment plan adaptation is necessary. This feedback loop enables accurate treatment delivery while avoiding unnecessary re-optimization, thus balancing treatment precision with resource efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of treatment adaptation frequency from fixed/scheduled to dynamic/condition-based. By monitoring deformation magnitude and comparing it against thresholds, the system adapts treatment plans only when anatomical changes exceed acceptable limits, optimizing the balance between treatment accuracy and computational resource consumption
2Reliability
If treatment plans are adapted based on anatomical changes, then treatment efficacy is improved, but decision complexity increases for oncologists
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically analyzing anatomical changes, computing deformation fields, and determining when treatment adaptation is required. This automation removes the burden of complex decision-making from oncologists while maintaining treatment efficacy through objective, data-driven adaptation criteria
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary computational system that acts as a mediator between anatomical imaging data and treatment planning decisions. This intermediary automatically processes image registration, calculates deformation magnitudes, and provides clear recommendations, simplifying the decision-making process for oncologists while ensuring treatment reliability
3Manufacturing precision
If full re-optimization is performed whenever anatomical changes occur, then dose accuracy is maintained, but computational cost and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by performing only the necessary portion of treatment plan adaptation. Instead of always executing full re-optimization, the system performs deformation analysis and applies adaptation only when deformation magnitude exceeds thresholds, maintaining dose accuracy while reducing computational time and resources
Data Source
AI summary
Method and apparatus (DMS) manage dosage in radiation therapy planning and/or delivery. Images of a region of interest ROI are acquired at different times. A registration transformation is computed that deforms one of the two images into the other. A magnitude of the transformation is then computed based on a suitable metric. If the computed magnitude is found to comply with a pre-defined criterion, the transformation is used to deform a dose distribution map and compute, based on the deformed dose map, therefrom a new fluence map.