Radiotherapy Treatment Planning with Local and Remote Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing radiotherapy treatment planning systems face challenges such as lengthy optimization times, high computational burdens, and reliance on remote servers that can fail due to network issues, leading to interruptions in treatment planning and patient safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
A treatment-planning apparatus with dual modes of operation: local optimization and remote server communication, allowing for standalone planning when the server is unavailable and seamless integration with a central server for enhanced capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If treatment planning is performed using a remote server, then computational burden is reduced and optimization capacity is enhanced, but network failures can cause interruptions and safety concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements different operational modes (local standalone mode and remote server mode) allowing different parts of the treatment planning process to be performed in different locations. The local quality principle is applied by enabling the treatment planning apparatus to independently perform optimization calculations locally when needed, while also allowing remote server assistance when available, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If optimization procedures include multiple objectives and constraints, then treatment plan quality improves, but optimization time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating and storing treatment plan parameters, fluence patterns, and optimization data. When a treatment plan is needed, the system retrieves and refines pre-computed data rather than performing complete optimization from scratch, thus maintaining high precision while significantly reducing optimization time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial action by implementing a multi-stage optimization process where not all objectives and constraints are fully processed in every case. The system selectively applies optimization based on clinical priorities and available time, performing complete optimization for critical parameters while using approximate or simplified methods for less critical aspects, thus balancing precision and time requirements.
Data Source
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AI summary
A treatment-planning apparatus for radiotherapy, the apparatus comprising: processing circuitry; a network interface; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to: in a first mode of operation, receive input data comprising imaging data and one or more medical objectives, and perform an optimization process using the input data to generate a treatment plan; and, in a second mode of operation, output data comprising imaging data and one or more medical objectives to an external treatment-planning server via the network interface, and receive a treatment plan from the external treatment-planning server via the network interface.