Thermal Imaging Patient Positioning in Frameless Radiosurgery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for pre-positioning patients in radiotherapy or radiosurgery require additional steps and maintenance of reflective markers, which can be inefficient and prone to errors, especially in maintaining marker cleanliness.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that compares live thermal images of a reference structure to predetermined medical images to determine positional deviations and adjusts the patient's position relative to a treatment device using thermal imaging and image registration techniques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If reflective markers are used for patient positioning, then positioning accuracy can be achieved, but the procedure becomes more complex and time-consuming due to marker attachment and maintenance requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the reflective markers from the positioning system and replaces them with thermal imaging of anatomical structures. This eliminates the need for marker attachment and maintenance while preserving positioning capability through natural body heat patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a thermal image copy of the patient's anatomical structure and compares it with a reference thermal image. This copying approach replaces the physical markers with a digital representation that can be automatically processed and compared without requiring physical attachment or maintenance.
2Measurement precision
If reflective markers are attached to the patient, then positioning information can be obtained, but additional time is required for marker attachment and cleaning maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the time-consuming marker attachment and cleaning steps by using inherent thermal properties of anatomical structures. The thermal imaging system captures heat patterns from the patient's body without requiring external markers, thereby eliminating the associated time requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs the patient's own body heat patterns as the positioning reference, eliminating the need for external markers. The anatomical structures themselves provide the positioning information through their thermal characteristics, making the system self-sufficient without requiring additional materials or maintenance.
3Ease of operation
If thermal imaging is used to detect anatomical structures, then marker maintenance is eliminated, but image processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a digital copy of the thermal image and compares it with a reference thermal image stored in memory. This copying and comparison approach automates the positioning verification process, reducing manual intervention while managing processing complexity through digital manipulation rather than physical marker management.
4Reliability
If automatic position verification is implemented, then positioning reliability is improved, but system complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the current thermal image is compared with the reference thermal image, and the system automatically determines whether positioning is correct. This feedback loop provides reliable position verification while managing complexity through automated comparison algorithms that process thermal data and generate positioning status without requiring complex mechanical systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enhances the efficiency and accuracy of patient positioning by automatically detecting and correcting positional deviations, reducing the need for additional markers and maintenance, thereby improving the reliability of radiotherapy and radiosurgery treatments.
Implementation Method 1
a thermal imaging device for taking the digital thermal image
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~3b
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AI summary
Disclosed is a computer-implemented medical data processing method for supporting positioning a patient for treatment by at least one of radiotherapy or radiosurgery, the method comprising executing, on at least one processor of at least one computer, steps of: a) acquiring (S1), at the at least one processor, planning image data describing a digital planning image of a reference structure; b) acquiring (S2), at the at least one processor, reference structure position data describing a predetermined relative position between the reference structure and an anatomical body part of the patient's body and describing a relative position between the reference structure and a predetermined reference position; c) acquiring (S3), at the at least one processor, thermal image data describing a digital thermal image of the reference structure; d) acquiring (S4), at the at least one processor, imaging device position data describing a relative position between the reference structure and a thermal imaging device used for taking the digital thermal image and describing a predetermined relative position between the thermal imaging device and the predetermined reference position; e) determining (S5), by the at least one processor and based on the planning image data, planning image pattern data describing an image pattern in the digital planning image assigned to the representation of the reference structure, hereinforth called planning image pattern; f) determining (S6), by the at least one processor and based on the thermal image data, thermal image pattern data describing an image pattern in the digital thermal image assigned to the representation of the reference structure, hereinforth called thermal image pattern; g) determining (S7), by the at least one processor and based on the reference structure position data and the imaging device position data and the planning image pattern data and the thermal image pattern data, positional difference data describing a difference between a relative position between the anatomical body part and the predetermined reference position at the point in time at which planning image data was generated on the one hand, and a relative position between the anatomical body part and the predetermined reference position at the point in time at which the thermal image data was generated on the other hand.