# US 2020/0286601 A1 · Graphical display of dose rate information for radiation treatment planning > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2020/0286601 A1 - Document ID: US20200286601A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/294,702 - Filed: 2019-03-06 - Published: 2020-09-10 - Earliest claimed: 2019-03-06 - Assignees: Varian Medical Systems, Inc. - Applicants: Varian Medical Systems - Inventors: Deepak KHUNTIA; Edward VERTATSCHITSCH; Eric ABEL; Anthony MAGLIARI; Christel SMITH - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200286601A1 ## CPC - A61N 5/103: {Treatment planning systems} - G16H 10/60: for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records - G16H 15/00: ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof - G16H 20/00: ICT specially adapted for therapies or health-improving plans, e.g. for handling prescriptions, for steering therapy or for monitoring patient compliance - G16H 80/00: ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring - A61N 2005/1074: {Details of the control system, e.g. user interfaces} - A61N: ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY (measurement of bioelectric currents A61B; surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body A61B18/00; anaesthetic apparatus in general A61M; incandescent lamps H01K; infrared radiators for heating H05B) - G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA ## Abstract A graphical user interface (GUI) that includes a representation of a target volume and sub-volumes of the target volume is rendered and displayed. Information in computer system memory that includes a dose rate received by each sub-volume is accessed. A value of an attribute is associated with each sub-volume, where the value corresponds to an amount of the dose rate received by that sub-volume. Each sub-volume is then rendered according to that value. The GUI may include a dose rate-volume histogram and/or an irradiation time-volume histogram for the target volume. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer system, comprising: a processor; a display device coupled to the processor; and memory coupled to the processor and comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform a method, comprising: displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) comprising a rendering of a target volume, the target volume comprising a plurality of sub-volumes; and accessing information in the memory, the information comprising a dose rate received by each sub-volume of the sub-volumes; wherein said displaying comprises: associating a value of an attribute to said each sub-volume, wherein the value corresponds to an amount of the dose rate received by said each sub-volume; and rendering said each sub-volume according to the value that corresponds to said each sub-volume. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The computer system of claim 1, wherein the dose rate received by said each sub-volume is determined using parameters comprising a number of irradiations of said each sub-volume, a duration of each of the irradiations, and a dose deposited in each of the irradiations. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The computer system of claim 2, wherein the amount of the dose rate received by said each sub-volume is an amount selected from the group consisting of: the dose rate accumulated over the number of irradiations of said each sub-volume; and the dose rate accumulated over the number of irradiations of said each sub-volume divided by the number of irradiations of said each sub-volume. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The computer system of claim 2, wherein the parameters further comprise: a period of time during which the irradiations are applied, and an interval of time between each period of irradiations. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The computer system of claim 2, wherein the parameters further comprise: directions of beams to be directed into said each sub-volume, and beam energies for each of the beams. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The computer system of claim 5, wherein the beams comprise a type of beam selected from the group consisting of: proton; electron; photon; atom nuclei; and ion. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The computer system of claim 1, wherein the attribute is selected from the group consisting of: color; pattern; gray-scale; alphanumeric text; and brightness. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The computer system of claim 1, wherein the rendering of the target volume is selected from the group consisting of: a two-dimensional cross-section of the target volume; and a virtual three-dimensional representation of the target volume. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The computer system of claim 1, wherein the GUI further comprises a dose rate-volume histogram that indicates a percentage of the target volume that receives a respective dose rate. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The computer system of claim 9, wherein the GUI further comprises isolines of dose rates relative to the target volume based on the dose rate-volume histogram. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The computer system of claim 1, wherein the GUI further comprises an irradiation time-volume histogram for the target volume, wherein the irradiation time-volume histogram indicates a percentage of the target volume that is irradiated for a respective length of time. ### Claim 12 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for causing a computer system to perform a method, the method comprising: determining, based on a radiation treatment plan, a dose rate received by each sub-volume of a plurality of sub-volumes of a target volume; and displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) comprising a rendering of the target volume; wherein said displaying comprises: associating a value of an attribute to said each sub-volume, wherein the value corresponds to an amount of the dose rate received by said each sub-volume; and rendering said each sub-volume according to the value that corresponds to said each sub-volume. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the dose rate received by said each sub-volume is determined using parameters comprising a number of irradiations of said each sub-volume, a duration of each of the irradiations, and a dose deposited in each of the irradiations. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the GUI further comprises a dose rate-volume histogram that indicates a percentage of the target volume that receives a respective dose rate. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the GUI further comprises isolines of dose rates relative to the target volume based on the dose rate-volume histogram. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the GUI further comprises an irradiation time-volume histogram for the target volume, wherein the irradiation time-volume histogram indicates a percentage of the target volume that is irradiated for a respective length of time. ### Claim 17 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for causing a computer system to perform a method, the method comprising: accessing, from memory of a computer system, information comprising a dose rate received by a target volume; generating a dose rate-volume histogram for the target volume, wherein the dose rate-volume histogram indicates a percentage of the target volume that receives the dose rate; and displaying, on a display device, a graphical user interface (GUI) element comprising the dose rate-volume histogram. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the target volume comprises a plurality of sub-volumes, wherein further said displaying comprises displaying a GUI element comprising isolines of dose rates relative to the target volume based on the dose rate-volume histogram. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein said displaying further comprises displaying a GUI element comprising an irradiation time-volume histogram for the target volume, wherein the irradiation time-volume histogram indicates a percentage of the target volume that is irradiated for a respective length of time. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the target volume comprises a plurality of sub-volumes and wherein the information further comprises a dose rate received by each sub-volume of the sub-volumes, wherein said displaying further comprises: associating a value of an attribute to said each sub-volume, wherein the value corresponds to an amount of the dose rate received by said each sub-volume; and displaying a GUI element comprising a rendering of the target volume, wherein said each sub-volume is rendered according to the value that corresponds to said each sub-volume.