Dynamic Strobe Arc Therapy Radiation Beam Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional radiation therapy delivery methods face limitations in efficiently targeting tumors while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue, often requiring complex and costly systems for precise beam control and modulation.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that involve moving a device along a path to change the orientation of a target volume with respect to a radiation beam emitter, emitting radiation only during specific path sections, and adjusting beam parameters such as dose rate and shape between sections, allowing for higher dose rates and more flexible system settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If continuous beam emission is used during gantry rotation, then treatment throughput is improved, but system complexity and control difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic beam emission by dividing the gantry rotation into discrete path sections with start and stop positions. The beam is emitted only during specific path sections and turned off during others, creating a periodic on-off pattern. This allows the system to achieve continuous rotation and high throughput while simplifying control by using discrete emission intervals rather than continuous modulation during the entire rotation.
2Loss of time
If beam emission is continuous during gantry rotation, then treatment time is reduced, but dose rate control and beam modulation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic beam emission during gantry rotation, turning the beam on during specific path sections and off during others. This periodic approach maintains reduced treatment time by keeping the beam on during productive path sections while simplifying dose rate control and beam modulation complexity by eliminating the need for continuous adjustment during the entire rotation cycle.
3Productivity
If the gantry rotates continuously around the patient, then treatment efficiency is improved, but precision in targeting specific tumor regions decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the continuous gantry rotation path into multiple discrete path sections, each with defined start and stop positions. The beam is emitted only during specific path sections that correspond to optimal viewing angles for the tumor. This segmentation allows the system to maintain continuous rotation for efficiency while achieving precise targeting by selectively activating the beam only during the most effective angular ranges for illuminating different tumor regions.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects may include movement of at least one device along a path to change an orientation of a target volume with respect to a radiation beam emitter, determination that the at least one device has reached a start position of a first path section associated with a first radiation treatment beam, emission, while the at least one device moves along the first path section, of the first radiation treatment beam from the radiation beam emitter toward a target volume, determination that the at least one device has reached a stop position of the first path section, ceasing emission of the first radiation treatment from the radiation beam emitter in response to the determination that the at least one device has reached a stop position of the first path section, determination that the at least one device has reached a start position of a second path section associated with a second radiation treatment beam, the start position of the second path section being different from the stop position of the first path section, and emission, while the at least one device moves along the second path section, of the second radiation treatment beam from the radiation beam emitter toward the target volume.