User interface for guided radiation therapy

• US 20060063999A1
• Filed: 07/25/2005
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Varian Medical Systems Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Herron, Matthew A., Swanson, David P., Epps, Brian W., Rolfes, Kevin G., Retana, Luis R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,586,059 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/407
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1074 Details of the control system, e.g. user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1049 for verifying the position of the patient with respect to the radiation beam

Abstract

A facility for presenting a visual user interface for guiding the performance of a process relating to a patient localization and tracking system is described. The facility displays the user interface in a first state that corresponds to a first process task in an ordered sequence of process tasks. Each time the process task to which the displayed state of the user interface corresponds is completed, the facility redisplays the user interface in a state corresponding to a process task following the process task to which the displayed state of the user interface corresponds.

Claims

1. A method in a computing system for presenting a visual user interface for guiding the performance of a process relating to a patient localization and tracking system, comprising:

displaying the user interface in a first state corresponding to a first process task in an ordered sequence of process tasks; and

each time the process task to which the displayed state of the user interface corresponds is completed, redisplaying the user interface in a state corresponding to a process task following the process task to which the displayed state of the user interface corresponds.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a visual user interface is presented for guiding the performance of a radiation therapy session process.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the sequence of process tasks for which the user interface is displayed in corresponding states comprises:

the first process task, identifying a patient for treatment;

a second process task, positioning a localization sensor array relative to a treatment location;

a third process task, positioning the patient relative to the treatment location; and

a fourth process task, tracking the position of the patient relative to the treatment location during the delivery of radiation energy.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the third task is performed using one or more passive magnetic transponders implanted in the patient.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the fourth task is performed using one or more passive magnetic transponders implanted in the patient.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising enabling a user to select a coordinate reference frame to use for the radiation therapy session process.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein a visual user interface is presented for guiding the performance of a patient localization and tracking system calibration process.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein a visual user interface is presented for guiding the performance of a patient localization and tracking system quality assurance process.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein a visual user interface is presented for guiding the performance of a patient information input process.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein a visual user interface is presented for guiding the performance of a patient information editing process.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the user interface includes a table of contents listing the sequence of process tasks, and wherein, each time the user interface is displayed in a state corresponding to a current process task, the current process task is visually distinguished from the other process tasks in the table of contents.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a current role of a user of the visual user interface; and

performing the displaying and redisplaying only if a current user role is among one or more approved roles for the sequence of process tasks.

13. A computing system for presenting a visual user interface for guiding the performance of a radiation therapy session, comprising:

a display that displays the user interface in a first state corresponding to a first radiation therapy session task in an ordered sequence of radiation therapy session tasks; and

a display updater that, each time the radiation therapy session task to which the displayed state of the user interface corresponds is completed, redisplays the user interface in a state corresponding to a radiation therapy session task following the radiation therapy session task to which the displayed state of the user interface corresponds.

14. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computing system to perform a method for presenting a visual user interface for guiding the performance of a process relating to a patient localization and tracking system, comprising:

displaying the user interface in a first state corresponding to a first process task in an ordered sequence of process tasks; and

each time the process task to which the displayed state of the user interface corresponds is completed, redisplaying the user interface in a state corresponding to a process task following the process task to which the displayed state of the user interface corresponds.

15. A method in a computing system for presenting a visual user interface for radiation therapy, comprising:

receiving a stream of positioning data relating to a radiation therapy session task; and

in substantially real-time, displaying the positioning data in a manner supportive of successful completion of the task.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the radiation therapy session task is positioning a localization sensor array relative to a treatment location, and wherein the received positioning data indicates the location and/or orientation of the localization sensor array relative to the treatment location, and wherein the displaying enables a technician to more accurately position the localization sensor array relative to the treatment location.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the received positioning data is obtained from a visual tracking system.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the displaying includes displaying one or more location and/or orientation measures included in the positioning data, and wherein each displayed measure has a predetermined tolerance about a target value, and wherein each value is displayed in a first color when outside its predetermined tolerance and in a second color when within its predetermined tolerance.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the radiation therapy session task is positioning a localization sensor array relative to a treatment location, and wherein the received positioning data indicates a lateral position, a longitudinal position, and an angular orientation of the localization sensor array relative to the treatment location, and wherein the lateral position, longitudinal position, and angular orientation are separately displayed in conjunction with a pictorial representation of the patient and the localization sensor array.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the lateral position, longitudinal position, and angular orientation are displayed in numerical form.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the lateral position, longitudinal position, and angular orientation are displayed in graphical form.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the lateral position, longitudinal position, and angular orientation are each displayed in a color indicative of whether the position or orientation is within a preselected tolerance.

23. The method of claim 15 wherein the radiation therapy session task is positioning a patient relative to a treatment location, and wherein the received positioning data indicates the location and/or orientation of the patient relative to the treatment location, and wherein the displaying enables a technician to more accurately position the patient relative to the treatment location.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the received positioning data is obtained from a localization system that tracks passive magnetic transponders implanted in the patient.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the displaying includes displaying one or more location and/or orientation measures included in the positioning data, and wherein each displayed measure has a predetermined tolerance about a target value, and wherein each measure is displayed in a first color when outside its predetermined tolerance and in a second color when within its predetermined tolerance.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein the displaying includes displaying a bar graph of each of one or more location and/or orientation measures included in the positioning data, and wherein each measure for which a bar graph is displayed has a predetermined tolerance about a target value, and wherein each bar graph is displayed in a first color when its measure is outside its predetermined tolerance and in a second color when its measure is within its predetermined tolerance.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein the displaying includes displaying a time-series graph of each of one or more location and/or orientation measures included in the positioning data, and wherein each measure for which a time-series graph is displayed has a predetermined tolerance about a target value, and wherein each time-series graph is displayed in a first color when its measure is outside its predetermined tolerance and in a second color when its measure is within its predetermined tolerance.

28. The method of claim 23 wherein the radiation therapy session task is positioning a patient relative to a treatment location, and wherein the received positioning data indicates a vertical position, a lateral position, and a longitudinal position of the patient relative to the treatment location, and wherein indications of the vertical position, lateral position, and longitudinal position are separately displayed in conjunction with a pictorial representation of the patient and the localization sensor array.

29. The method of claim 15 wherein the radiation therapy session task is tracking the position of a patient relative to a treatment location during the delivery of radiation energy, and wherein the received positioning data indicates the location and/or orientation of the patient relative to the treatment location, and wherein the displaying enables a user to monitor the position of the patient relative to the treatment location.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the received positioning data is obtained from a localization system that tracks passive magnetic transponders implanted in the patient.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein the displaying includes displaying one or more location and/or orientation measures included in the positioning data, and wherein each displayed measure has a predetermined tolerance about a target value, and wherein each value is displayed in a first color when outside its predetermined tolerance and in a second color when within its predetermined tolerance.

32. The method of claim 29 wherein the displaying includes displaying a time-series graph of each of one or more location and/or orientation measures included in the positioning data, and wherein each measure for which a time-series graph is displayed has a predetermined tolerance about a target value, and wherein each time-series graph is displayed in a first color when its measure is outside its predetermined tolerance and in a second color when its measure is within its predetermined tolerance.

33. A computing system for presenting a visual user interface for radiation therapy, comprising:

a receiver that receives a stream of positioning data relating to a radiation therapy session task; and

a display that, in substantially real-time, displays the positioning data in a manner supportive of successful completion of the task.

34. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computing system to perform a method for presenting a visual user interface for radiation therapy, comprising:

receiving a stream of positioning data relating to a radiation therapy session task; and

in substantially real-time, displaying the positioning data in a manner supportive of successful completion of the task.