Radiation Treatment Garment With Transparent Window And Genital Support Pouch
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Solution Overview
Problem
Radiation therapy for abdominal and pelvic cancers often requires patients to be naked, leading to discomfort, increased radiation exposure to healthy tissues, and treatment breaks due to skin toxicity from uneven radiation distribution and anatomical irregularities.
Innovation Solution
A radiation treatment garment designed for both men and women, featuring compression fabric shorts or shapewear with transparent windows for alignment tattoos and a support pouch for male external genitalia, which maintains anatomical positions to reduce radiation exposure and prevent skin folds, allowing for precise treatment planning and delivery while providing privacy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If patients are treated without clothing or coverage to ensure tattoo and light-field visualization, then precise treatment positioning is achieved, but patient comfort and privacy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The garment is divided into multiple functional segments: transparent windows for tattoo visualization, compression zones for anatomical positioning, and coverage areas for patient modesty. This segmentation allows each region to serve its specific purpose while maintaining overall treatment precision and patient comfort
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the garment have different optical properties: transparent windows allow light transmission for tattoo visualization, while opaque regions provide coverage. This local differentiation of material properties enables simultaneous achievement of positioning precision and patient comfort
2Device complexity
If traditional treatment positioning is used without anatomical support, then treatment setup is simplified, but radiation dose distribution to healthy tissues worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The garment pre-positions anatomical structures (genitalia, breasts, abdominal contents) into optimal locations before radiation treatment begins. This preliminary positioning action ensures that sensitive organs are moved out of the radiation field, reducing healthy tissue exposure without complicating the treatment setup
Solution Approach 2:
The garment acts as an intermediary device between the patient's anatomy and the radiation beam. It provides mechanical support and positioning functionality that protects sensitive tissues from direct radiation exposure while maintaining treatment simplicity
3Manufacturing precision
If compression is applied to smooth anatomical irregularities, then radiation distribution homogeneity improves, but patient comfort deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The garment applies compression selectively to specific anatomical regions (abdomen, thighs) that cause radiation distribution problems, while leaving other areas (genitalia, breasts) unsupported or minimally compressed. This localized approach improves radiation homogeneity without causing discomfort
Solution Approach 2:
The garment uses moderate compression forces that are sufficient to smooth anatomical irregularities and improve radiation distribution, but controlled to remain within comfortable limits for the patient. The compression parameter is optimized to balance treatment quality and patient comfort
Data Source
AI summary
A radiation treatment garment includes, in some embodiments, a window having a visually-transparent material for viewing alignment tattoos on a wearer. In some other embodiments, the radiation treatment garment includes a support pouch for receiving and supporting a male wearer's external genitalia, wherein the support pouch is configured to support the external genitalia in a position that is anterior and superior to the natural gravity-induced position. In some further embodiments, the radiation treatment garment includes both the window and the support pouch.