Visualization of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11439846-B2
Application number	US-201816609910-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2018
Priority date	May 3, 2017
Publication date	Sep 13, 2022
Grant date	Sep 13, 2022

Abstract

A system includes a computing system with a processor and computer readable storage medium with computer readable and executable instructions, including a radiation plan module, a radiation plan optimization module and a radiation plan visualization module. The processor is configured to execute the instructions, which causes the processor to construct and visually present, via a display monitor, a two-dimensional plot with three-dimensions of data from a radiation plan, and two dimensions along two axes of the plot and a third dimension represented through intensity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A planning system for planning external beam radiation therapy by a radiation therapy system, the planning system comprising:
a processor in communication with a display monitor; and
a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer readable and executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
receive a proposed optimized radiation treatment plan for use in external beam radiation therapy, taking into account constraints; and
construct and visually present, via the display monitor, a two-dimensional plot with three-dimensions of data based at least in part on control parameters of a collimator of the radiation therapy system from the optimized radiation treatment plan,
wherein first and second dimensions are plotted along first and second axes of the plot and a third dimension is indicated through intensity of gray scale or color scale of the plot on the display monitor to provide a comprehensive visual summary of delivery characteristics of the optimized radiation treatment plan to a user for identifying a desirable radiation treatment plan.

2. The planning system of claim 1 , wherein the control parameters are for a volumetric modulated arc therapy beam.

3. The planning system of claim 1 , wherein the collimator comprises a multi-leaf collimator.

4. The planning system of claim 3 , wherein the three-dimensions of data include leaf pair opening size, control points, and collimator rows of the multi-leaf collimator.

5. The planning system of claim 4 , wherein the first axis of the plot indicates the control points, the second axis of the plot indicates the collimator rows, and the intensity indicates the leaf pair opening size.

6. The planning system of claim 4 , wherein the plot further includes an envelope which showing top and bottom positions of jaws of the multi-leaf collimator.

7. The planning system of claim 6 , wherein the optimized radiation treatment plan includes a plurality of alternative treatment plans, and
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to construct and visually present, via the display monitor, additional two-dimensional plots with three-dimensions of data for each alternative treatment plan of the plurality of alternative treatment plans, and the additional plots are concurrently visually presented.

8. The planning system of claim 3 , wherein the three-dimensions of data include control points, change in leaf pair opening between the control points, and collimator rows of the multi-leaf collimator.

9. The planning system of claim 8 , wherein the first axis of the plot indicates the control points, the second axis of the plot indicates the collimator rows, and the intensity indicates the change in leaf pair opening between the control points, and wherein the instructions cause the processor to further determine velocity based on the change in leaf pair opening between control points.

10. The planning system of claim 8 , wherein the first axis of the plot indicates the control points, the second axis of the plot indicates the collimator rows, and the intensity indicates an acceleration of leaf pairs of the of the multi-leaf collimator, and wherein the instructions cause the processor to further determine velocity based on the change in the leaf pair opening between the control points.

11. The planning system of claim 8 , wherein the intensity is weighted at each control point by control point monitor units.

12. The planning system of claim 1 , wherein the optimized radiation treatment plan includes a plurality of arcs, and
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to construct and visually present, via the display monitor, additional two-dimensional plots with three-dimensions of data for each arc of the plurality of arcs, and the additional plots are concurrently visually presented.

13. The planning system of claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensions of data include discretized leaf travel positions of a collimator, control point gantry angles at control points along an arc, and a number of open leaf pairs of the collimator, and wherein the first axis of the plot indicates the discretized leaf travel positions, the second axis of the plot indicates the control point gantry angles, and the intensity indicates a number of open leaf pairs.

14. A method for planning external beam radiation therapy by a radiation therapy system, the method comprising:
receiving a proposed optimized radiation treatment plan for use in external beam radiation therapy; and
visualizing the optimized radiation treatment plan by visually displaying on a display monitor a two-dimensional plot with three-dimensions of data based at least in part on control parameters of a collimator of the radiation therapy system from the optimized radiation treatment plan,
wherein first and second dimensions are plotted along first and second axes of the plot and a third dimension is indicated by intensity of gray scale or color scale of the plot on the display monitor to provide a comprehensive visual summary of delivery characteristics of the optimized radiation treatment plan to a user for identifying a desirable radiation treatment plan.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first axis of the plot indicates control points, the second axis of the plot indicates collimator rows of the collimator, and the intensity indicates leaf pair opening size of the collimator.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first axis of the plot indicates control points, the second axis of the plot indicates collimator rows of the collimator, and the intensity indicates change in leaf pair opening between the control points.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first axis of the plot indicates discretized leaf travel positions of the collimator, the second axis of the plot indicates control point gantry angles of control points, and the intensity indicates a number of open leaf pairs of the collimator.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions, for planning external beam radiation therapy by a radiation therapy system, which when executed by a processor cause the processor to:
receive a proposed optimized radiation treatment plan for use in external beam radiation therapy; and
visually summarize the optimized radiation treatment plan on a display monitor by displaying a two-dimensional plot with three-dimensions of data based at least in part on control parameters of a collimator of the radiation therapy system from the optimized radiation treatment plan,
wherein first and second dimensions are plotted along first and second axes of the plot and a third dimension is indicated by intensity of gray scale or color scale of the plot on the display monitor to provide a comprehensive visual summary of delivery characteristics of the optimized radiation treatment plan to a user for identifying a desirable radiation treatment plan.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the first axis of the plot indicates control points, the second axis of the plot indicates collimator rows of the collimator, and the intensity indicates leaf pair opening size of the collimator.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the first axis of the plot indicates control points, the second axis of the plot indicates collimator rows of the collimator, and the intensity indicates change in leaf pair opening between the control points.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 18 ,

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Vik Torbjoern
• Heese Harald Sepp
• Neukirchen Christoph
• Isola Alfonso Agatino
• Weese Rolf Juergen

Classifications

• A61N5/103 Primary

  Treatment planning systems · CPC title

• A61N5/1047 Primary

  with movement of the radiation head during application of radiation, e.g. for intensity modulated arc therapy or IMAT · CPC title

• A61N2005/1074

  Details of the control system, e.g. user interfaces · CPC title

• A61N5/1081

  Rotating beam systems with a specific mechanical construction, e.g. gantries · CPC title

• A61N5/1036

  Leaf sequencing algorithms · CPC title