Quality assurance process for radiation therapy treatment planning
Granted: September 26, 2023
Patent Number:
11766575
A method enables testing and evaluation of an expert human reviewer or an artificial intelligence (AI) error detection engine associated with a radiotherapy treatment planning process. Intentional errors are introduced into the output of a software module or AI engine that performs a certain step in the radiotherapy treatment planning process. The efficacy of the human or AI reviewer in detecting errors can then be evaluated or tested by determining whether the human or AI reviewer has…
Geometric aspects of radiation therapy planning and treatment
Granted: September 26, 2023
Patent Number:
11766574
Radiation treatment planning includes determining a number of beams to be directed into a target, determining directions (e.g., gantry angles) for the beams, and determining an energy level for each of the beams. The number of beams, the directions of the beams, and the energy levels are determined such that the beams do not overlap outside the target and the prescribed dose will be delivered across the entire target.
Radiotherapy methods, systems, and workflow-oriented graphical user interfaces
Granted: September 19, 2023
Patent Number:
11759656
Disclosed herein are radiotherapy methods and systems that can display a workflow-oriented graphical user interface(s). In an embodiment, a method comprises presenting, by the server for display on a screen associated with a radiotherapy machine, a series of consecutive graphical user interfaces, wherein each graphical user interface displays one or more graphical components corresponding to one or more tasks of one or more stages of a patient's radiotherapy treatment; and when a user…
Method and apparatus for using a multi-layer multi-leaf collimation system
Granted: September 19, 2023
Patent Number:
11759655
A multi-layer multi-leaf collimation system includes at least a two layers of collimation leaves. The first multi-leaf collimator layer is configured to primarily perform a first function to affect a radiation beam traveling from a radiation source to a target and a second multi-leaf collimator layer is configured to primarily perform a second function, different from the first function, to affect the radiation beam for the administration of a treatment plan.
Apparatus to facilitate the administration of a knowledge-based radiation treatment plan
Granted: June 27, 2023
Patent Number:
11684800
A control circuit accesses information regarding a plurality of pre-existing vetted radiation treatment plans for a variety of patients and uses that information to train at least one model (such as a dose volume histogram estimation model). The control circuit then uses that model to develop estimates for a radiation treatment plan for a particular patient. The control circuit can then use those estimates to develop a candidate radiation treatment plan.
Method and apparatus for using a multi-layer multi-leaf collimator as a virtual flattening filter
Granted: June 20, 2023
Patent Number:
11679278
A photon source emits a flattening filter-free photon beam. A control circuit operably couples to a multi-layer multi-leaf collimator that is disposed between the photon source and a treatment area of a patient. The control circuit automatically arranges operation of some, but not all, of the layers of the multi-layer multi-leaf collimator to serve as a virtual flattening filter with respect to the flattening filter-free photon beam emitted by the photon source. By one approach, another…
Dose aspects of radiation therapy planning and treatment
Granted: June 13, 2023
Patent Number:
11673003
Radiation treatment planning includes accessing values of parameters such as a number of beams to be directed into sub-volumes in a target, beam directions, and beam energies. Information that specifies limits for the radiation treatment plan are accessed. The limits include a limit on irradiation time for each sub-volume outside the target. Other limits can include a limit on irradiation time for each sub-volume in the target, a limit on dose rate for each sub-volume in the target, and…
Image contouring using spiking neural networks
Granted: June 13, 2023
Patent Number:
11676295
Disclosed herein are methods and system for training artificial intelligence models configured to execute image segmentation techniques. The methods and system describe a server that receives a first image including a set of pixels depicting multiple objects. The server also receives a second image having a second set of pixels depicting the same set of objects. The server then analyzes the pixels from the first and second images. When a difference between at least one visual attribute…
Display screen of an electronic device with a graphical user interface
Granted: June 6, 2023
Patent Number:
D988346
Template matching method for image-based detection and tracking of irregular shaped targets
Granted: June 6, 2023
Patent Number:
11669967
A method of generating a template image includes: receiving an input from a user representing identifications of an object in different respective slices of a volumetric image; using the input to determine a volume-of-interest (VOI) that includes voxels in a subset of the volumetric image; and determining the template image using at least some of the voxels in the VOI, wherein the act of determining the template image comprises performing a forward projection of the at least some of the…
Radiotherapy methods, systems, and workflow-oriented graphical user interfaces
Granted: May 30, 2023
Patent Number:
11660473
Disclosed herein are radiotherapy systems and methods that can display a workflow-oriented graphical user interface(s). In an embodiment, a system comprises a radiotherapy machine comprising: a couch; and a gantry having a camera in communication with a server, wherein the server is configured to: present for display, in real time on a screen associated with the radiotherapy machine, images received from the camera, wherein when the gantry changes its orientation, the camera revises at…
Radiotherapy methods, systems, and workflow-oriented graphical user interfaces
Granted: May 23, 2023
Patent Number:
11654303
A method comprises presenting, by a server for display on a screen associated with a radiotherapy machine, a series of consecutive graphical user interfaces (GUIs), wherein a first GUI comprises: a first graphical indicator (GI) corresponding to a first attribute associated with configuration of the radiotherapy machine, and a second GI corresponding to a second attribute associated with the patient; when the server receives an indication that a user interacting with a pendant in…
Refillable ion chamber with automated purging system
Granted: May 16, 2023
Patent Number:
11651931
An apparatus includes an ion chamber and a valve assembly. The ion chamber may include a housing enclosing a gas and one or more electrodes. The valve assembly is coupled to the ion chamber allowing control of replacement of the gas within the housing.
Beam spot tuning in a radiation therapy system based on radiation field measurements
Granted: May 16, 2023
Patent Number:
11648421
An example computer-implemented method for tuning a beam spot in a radiation therapy system based on radiation field measurements has been disclosed. The example method includes configuring an electron beam to generate a first beam spot on an electron-beam target of the radiation therapy system, determining a value for one or more radiation field quality metrics for a first radiation beam that originates from the first beam spot, and based on the value, determining whether the first…
Method and apparatus to facilitate generating an optimized radiation treatment plan using direct-aperture optimization that includes fluence-based sub-optimization
Granted: May 9, 2023
Patent Number:
11642550
After accessing optimization information for a particular patient and for a particular radiation treatment platform, a control circuit generates an optimized radiation treatment plan by processing the optimization information using direct-aperture-optimization that includes fluence-based sub-optimization. By one approach, the control circuit includes the fluence-based sub-optimization in at least some, but not necessarily all, iterations of the direct-aperture-optimization. By one…
Method and apparatus to facilitate generating an optimized radiation treatment plan using direct-aperture optimization that includes fluence-based sub-optimization
Granted: May 9, 2023
Patent Number:
11642550
After accessing optimization information for a particular patient and for a particular radiation treatment platform, a control circuit generates an optimized radiation treatment plan by processing the optimization information using direct-aperture-optimization that includes fluence-based sub-optimization. By one approach, the control circuit includes the fluence-based sub-optimization in at least some, but not necessarily all, iterations of the direct-aperture-optimization. By one…
Radiotherapy methods, systems, and workflow-oriented graphical user interfaces
Granted: May 2, 2023
Patent Number:
11638840
Disclosed herein are radiotherapy methods and systems that can display a workflow-oriented graphical user interface(s). In an embodiment, a method comprises presenting, by a server, a graphical user interface for display on a screen positioned on a gantry of a radiotherapy machine, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a page corresponding to a radiotherapy treatment of a patient, wherein the page comprises a first graphical element indicating at least one attribute of alignment…
Monitor for high dose rate electron therapy, system and method
Granted: April 25, 2023
Patent Number:
11633628
A radiotherapy dose rate monitor system includes an electrode configured to be impinged by radiotherapy radiation, and a current measurement circuit configured to measure a current through the electrode. An emission of secondary electrons emitted from the electrode provides a majority of current through the electrode.
Training artificial intelligence models for radiation therapy
Granted: March 28, 2023
Patent Number:
11612761
Disclosed herein are systems and methods for iteratively training artificial intelligence models using reinforcement learning techniques. With each iteration, a training agent applies a random radiation therapy treatment attribute corresponding to the radiation therapy treatment attribute associated with previously performed radiation therapy treatments when an epsilon value indicative of a likelihood of exploration and exploitation training of the artificial intelligence model satisfies…
Radiotherapy methods, systems, and workflow-oriented graphical user interfaces
Granted: March 21, 2023
Patent Number:
11607563
Disclosed herein are radiotherapy methods and systems that can display a workflow-oriented graphical user interface(s). In an embodiment, a method comprises presenting, by a server, a graphical user interface for display on a screen associated with a radiotherapy machine, wherein the graphical user interface contains a page corresponding to one or more stages of radiotherapy treatment for the patient, and transitioning, by the server, the graphical user interface from a first page…
