Radiotherapy Gating via Isodose Surface Overlap Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current radiotherapy techniques face challenges in accurately delivering prescribed doses to target volumes while minimizing exposure to healthy tissues, due to patient movement and the arbitrary nature of existing gating methods, which can lead to inaccuracies in irradiation and increased damage to healthy tissues.
Innovation Solution
The use of isodose surfaces to determine the overlap with defined volumes, allowing for precise control of radiation application, ensuring that radiation is applied only when a threshold amount of the target volume is within the isodose surface and halted when it is not, thereby aligning with prescribed doses and minimizing exposure to healthy tissues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If radiation is applied from a plurality of different angles to reduce dose to healthy tissue, then the radiation dose to healthy tissue is reduced, but the precision of dose delivery to the target volume decreases due to patient movement
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the radiation beam gating based on real-time detection of patient movement and tumour position. The radiation beam is selectively applied or halted based on whether the tumour is within the isodose surface, allowing the treatment to adapt to patient movement while maintaining dose precision
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses real-time feedback from movement sensors and isodose surface calculations to control radiation beam application. The controller continuously monitors patient movement, updates the isodose surface position, and adjusts beam gating accordingly to ensure accurate dose delivery while protecting healthy tissue
2Reliability
If gating is performed based on arbitrary sensor ranges to accommodate patient movement, then patient movement uncertainty is addressed, but inaccuracies in irradiation occur leading to under- or over-irradiation of target volumes
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the gating parameter from arbitrary sensor ranges to isodose surface-based thresholds. The isodose surface is calculated based on the treatment plan and patient anatomy, providing a scientifically grounded threshold that ensures accurate dose delivery while accommodating patient movement
Solution Approach 2:
The isodose surface acts as an intermediary between the radiation beam and the tumour. Instead of directly gating based on sensor position, the system uses the isodose surface as a mediator to determine when the tumour is in the correct position relative to the beam, eliminating arbitrary thresholds
3Reliability
If the radiation beam is continuously applied to ensure adequate dose to target volume, then the effectiveness of radiotherapy is maintained, but the damage to healthy tissue increases due to patient movement
Solution Approach 1:
The radiation beam is applied periodically rather than continuously, with gating based on patient breath-hold phases or respiratory cycles. The beam is applied during phases when the tumour is in the correct position and halted during phases when it moves out of position, ensuring effective treatment while protecting healthy tissue
Data Source
AI summary
A radiotherapy device, a method and a computer readable medium are disclosed. The radiotherapy device includes a radiation source and a controller. The radiation source is configured to apply radiation to a subject. The controller is configured to determine an overlap between a defined volume of the subject and an isodose surface and to instruct the radiation source to halt application of the radiation based on the determination.