Radiotherapy Planning for Simultaneous FLASH Beam Dose Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing radiotherapy techniques using FLASH radiotherapy lack accurate means to understand the dose applied to patients, particularly in simultaneous irradiation scenarios, which can lead to potential damage to healthy tissues.
Innovation Solution
A radiotherapy planning apparatus that includes a processing circuitry to obtain medical images, determine beam directions and numbers, generate total dose rate distributions, specify FLASH and non-FLASH effect areas, and adjust beam conditions to minimize healthy tissue damage, using a system comprising a medical image diagnostic apparatus, radiotherapy planning apparatus, and radiotherapy apparatus.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If simultaneous irradiation in combination with FLASH radiotherapy is used, then treatment efficiency is improved, but measurement precision of dose is deteriorated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a computational model as an intermediary to predict dose distribution. Instead of directly measuring the complex simultaneous FLASH irradiation dose, the system uses pre-acquired single-beam attenuation characteristics and a computational model to calculate the combined dose distribution, thereby solving the measurement precision problem while maintaining treatment efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary acquisition of attenuation characteristics for each beam direction before simultaneous irradiation. By pre-measuring and storing the attenuation characteristics of individual beams, the system can later compute the combined dose distribution without needing to directly measure the complex simultaneous irradiation, thus preserving both efficiency and precision
2Loss of time
If high dose-rate FLASH radiotherapy is applied, then treatment time is reduced, but reliability of dose control is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the computational model predicts dose distribution based on acquired attenuation characteristics, and this predicted information is fed back to adjust and optimize the simultaneous irradiation plan. This feedback loop ensures reliable dose control while maintaining the short treatment time characteristic of FLASH radiotherapy
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary acquisition and analysis of attenuation characteristics before the actual FLASH irradiation. By preparing the computational model with pre-acquired data, the system can execute the high-speed FLASH treatment with reliable dose control, as the dosimetry calculations are already prepared in advance
Data Source
AI summary
A radiotherapy planning apparatus includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry obtains a medical image relating to a patient. The processing circuitry obtains number of beams and beam directions of a plurality of radiation beams applied substantially simultaneously to an irradiation area of the patient. The processing circuitry generates a total dose rate distribution which is a spatial distribution of total values of predicted dose rates of the radiation beams to be applied to the patient, based on the medical image and the number and the direction of the radiation beams.