System and method for manufacturing bolus for radiotherapy using a three-dimensional printer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016256709-A1
Application number	US-201615157029-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 17, 2016
Priority date	Nov 27, 2013
Publication date	Sep 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and computer-readable storage devices for manufacturing patient-specific bolus for use in targeted radiotherapy treatment. Based on dose calculations without a bolus and based on three-dimensional scan data of a patient, the example system generates a model of a bolus for targeting radiotherapy treatment to a planning target volume or target region within the patient. The system can perform several iterations to generate a resulting model for the bolus. Then, the system can generate instructions for controlling a three-dimensional printer to generate the bolus that conforms to the patient's skin surface while also specifically targeting the planning target volume for the radiotherapy treatment. In this way, the amount of radiotherapy treatment administered to other tissue is reduced, while the costs, time, and human involvement in creating the bolus are significantly reduced.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A method comprising:
collecting three-dimensional scan data of a target radiation treatment area of a user; performing a first dose calculation for a treatment goal for the target radiation treatment area without a bolus; creating, via a processor and based on the three-dimensional scan data, the target radiation treatment area, and the dose calculation, a model for a target bolus; and performing a second dose calculation for the treatment goal for the target radiation treatment area based on the model for the target bolus.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
when the second dose calculation satisfies conditions associated with the treatment goal, outputting the model for the target bolus to a fabrication device to produce a replica of the target bolus for use with the target radiation treatment area of the user.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the dose calculation is based on an electron Monte Carlo algorithm.

4 . The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
if the second dose calculation does not satisfy the conditions associated with the treatment goal: performing an analysis of the model for the target bolus for at least one of a hot spot, a cool spot, dose coverage, surface irregularity, a margin of a planning target volume, or conformity at edges of the planning target volume; based on the analysis, revising the model to yield a revised model; and outputting the revised model to the fabrication device to produce the replica of the target bolus for use with the target radiation treatment area of the user.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
iterating performing the analysis and revising the model until revised model satisfies the conditions associated with the treatment goal.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fabrication device comprises a three-dimensional printer.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the model for the target bolus is represented as an STL file.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the replica comprises polylactic acid.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
verifying that the replica satisfies the conditions associated with the treatment goal based on a computed tomography scan of the replica while placed on the target radiation treatment area of the user.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a patient-facing side of the replica is shaped to conform to a surface of the target radiation treatment area.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a beam-incident side of the replica is shaped to a regular geometric surface.

12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
placing the replica on the target radiation treatment area of the user; and applying a radiation beam to the target radiation treatment area of the user through the replica.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the radiation beam comprises at least one of a megavoltage radiation beam, an electron beam, a proton beam, or a photon beam.

14 . A system comprising:
a processor; and a computer-readable storage device storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
receiving three-dimensional scan data of a target area of a user for radiation treatment;
receiving a desired radiation dose for the radiation treatment;
calculating, based on the three-dimensional scan data, the desired radiation dose, and characteristics of a radiation source, a three-dimensional bolus model such that when the radiation source is directed at the target area via a bolus created according to the three-dimensional bolus model, the desired radiation dose is administered to the target area; and
creating a bolus according to the three-dimensional bolus model via a three-dimensional printer.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the three-dimensional bolus model further comprises an immobilization component to immobilize a region of the user proximate to the target area.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the immobilization component fits contours of the region to be immobilized.

17 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the immobilization component comprises a mesh.

18 . A computer-readable storage device storing instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
receiving three-dimensional scan data of a target area of a user for radiation treatment; receiving a desired radiation dose for the radiation treatment; calculating, based on the three-dimensional scan data, the desired radiation dose, and characteristics of a radiation source, a three-dimensional bolus model such that when the radiation source is directed at the target area via a bolus created according to the three-dimensional bolus model, the desired radiation dose is administered to the target area; and creating a bolus according to the three-dimensional bolus model via a three-dimensional printer.

19 . The computer-readable storage device of claim 18 , wherein the three-dimensional bolus model comprises at least one cavity configured to receive a dosimeter.

20 . The computer-readable storage device of claim 18 , wherein the bolus is created out of a material that exhibits scintillation when excited by the radiation treatment.

Assignees

• Univ Dalhousie

Inventors

• Robar James
• Su Shiqin

Classifications

• G16H50/30

  for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment · CPC title

• B29C64/393

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• A61N2005/1096

  Elements inserted into the radiation path placed on the patient, e.g. bags, bolus, compensators · CPC title

• A61N2005/1076

  using a dummy object placed in the radiation field, e.g. phantom · CPC title

• A61B6/5217

  extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data · CPC title