Radiotherapy Beam Control With Anisotropic Target Buffering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing radiotherapy techniques lack accurate control of treatment beams due to inadequate consideration of anatomical variations and organ at risk, leading to inefficient or unsafe irradiation.
Innovation Solution
A radiotherapy device with integrated imaging systems and a controller that determines a flexible, anisotropic buffer region around the target, adjusting treatment based on real-time image data to prevent irradiation of organs at risk.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a constant predefined margin is used around the target region, then the safety of irradiation is improved, but the treatment efficiency deteriorates due to unnecessary gating
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by transitioning from a uniform constant margin to an anisotropic buffer region where the margin width varies in different directions based on the local anatomical environment. The controller determines different margin widths along different axes by evaluating the distance to organs at risk in each direction, allowing tighter margins where safe and wider margins where needed for safety, thereby reducing unnecessary gating while maintaining protection of critical structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the buffer region adaptive and dynamic rather than static. The anisotropic buffer region is continuously adjusted based on real-time image data and the relative positions of the target and organs at risk. This dynamic adjustment allows the treatment system to respond to patient motion and anatomical variations, optimizing the balance between safety and treatment efficiency throughout the procedure.
2Reliability
If a wide constant margin is set to prevent irradiation of organs at risk, then the safety is improved, but the treatment accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by applying local quality through direction-dependent margin adjustment. Instead of applying a wide uniform margin in all directions, the system calculates the distance to organs at risk along each principal axis and sets margin widths accordingly. This allows the treatment to achieve high precision by using tighter margins where anatomical conditions permit, while maintaining safety through wider margins only in directions where organs at risk are present.
3Manufacturing precision
If real-time image data is used to determine anisotropic buffer region, then the treatment accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by integrating multiple functions into the existing radiotherapy device. The imaging systems and controller are leveraged to perform both their original functions and the additional function of determining the anisotropic buffer region. This multi-functionality approach allows the system to achieve enhanced treatment accuracy without adding separate dedicated systems, thereby managing device complexity through functional integration.
4Ease of operation
If constant margin approach is used, then the ease of operation is improved, but the treatment efficiency deteriorates due to unnecessary beam gating
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by implementing dynamics through automated real-time adjustment of the anisotropic buffer region. While the underlying calculation is complex, the system maintains ease of operation by automating the margin adjustment process based on real-time image data. The controller continuously updates the buffer region dimensions according to the relative positions of target and organs at risk, eliminating the need for manual intervention while preventing unnecessary beam gating and improving treatment efficiency.
Data Source
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AI summary
A radiotherapy device, a computer-implemented method and a computer-readable medium are disclosed. The radiotherapy device includes a radiation source, one or more imaging systems and a controller communicatively coupled to the radiation source and the one or more imaging systems. The radiation source is configured to apply radiation to a treatment region coinciding with a subject according to a treatment plan. The one or more imaging systems are configured to generate image data for the subject. The controller is configured to: determine, based on the image data, a relative distance between a target region of the subject and an organ at risk of the subject, wherein the treatment plan comprises a prescribed dose for the target region; determine a buffer region around the target based at least in part on the relative distance; and generate a control signal for adjusting a radiotherapy treatment in response to determining, based on the image data, that the treatment region is located at least partially outside the buffer region.