Automated Radiotherapy Contour Verification Using Heuristic Rules
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current radiotherapy planning methods are prone to errors in contouring, which can lead to geographic misses or unnecessary side effects due to manual or semiautomatic delineation of tumor and organ at risk boundaries, and these errors are not adequately detected during the planning phase.
Innovation Solution
An automated system and method for detecting contouring errors using heuristic and statistical evaluation methods, including Boolean operations, pixel/voxel counting, and 3D connectivity labeling, to identify violations of predefined rules and ensure accurate contouring, thereby reducing errors and improving safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual or semiautomatic contouring is used, then flexibility and adaptability in delineation are maintained, but error rate increases and reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an automated contour verification system that acts as an intermediary between contouring specialists and treatment planning. This system uses heuristic rules and statistical shape models to detect contouring errors without replacing human specialists, thereby improving reliability while maintaining manageable complexity through automated error detection rather than full automation of contouring
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary verification of contours before they are used in treatment planning. By applying heuristic rules and statistical models in advance to identify potential errors in contour delineation, the system prevents errors from propagating to subsequent treatment steps, improving contouring accuracy without requiring complex real-time intervention
2Measurement precision
If automated contour verification is implemented, then error detection capability improves, but processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The verification system is divided into multiple independent modules: heuristic rule evaluation, statistical shape model analysis, and connectivity checking. Each module independently evaluates different aspects of contour accuracy, enabling parallel processing and reducing overall verification time while maintaining high error detection accuracy through comprehensive multi-faceted assessment
3Manufacturing precision
If stricter contouring standards are enforced, then manufacturing precision of contour delineation improves, but ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides automated feedback to contouring specialists by highlighting specific contours that violate heuristic rules or statistical shape models. This feedback mechanism guides specialists to correct errors without requiring them to memorize or manually enforce complex contouring standards, thereby improving contour delineation accuracy while maintaining ease of operation through intuitive error identification and correction
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, devices, methods, and computer processing products for automatically checking for errors in segmentation (contouring) using heuristic and/or statistical evaluation methods.