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Jaws-Only Brochure

Overview

TREAT YOUR PATIENTS USING IMRT WITHOUT THE EXPENSE OF AN MLC

Now you can develop plans comparable to traditional IMRT plans, without using a Multi-Leaf Collimator (MLC). The patented Prowess Panther™ Jaws-Only IMRT is ideal for facilities that wish to create IMRT plans, but do not have an MLC.

Prowess' unique Jaws-Only IMRT system uses only the jaws of the collimator to shape the beam, effectively eliminating the need for any other beam-shaping device, including an MLC or block.

POTENTIAL SAVING OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS

An MLC attachment for a linear accelerator can cost several hundred thousand dollars. Many clinics have delayed the implementation of IMRT treatment planning because of the significant investment in additional equipment necessary to deliver IMRT plans. Prowess recognizes the need for a less expensive way of delivering IMRT. The new Prowess Panther™ Jaws-Only IMRT product makes it possible for cancer treatment centers to begin offering IMRT, without incurring the additional equipment costs of an MLC.

Determining whether a Record & Verify system (R&V) and an Auto Field Sequencer (AFS) are necessary would depend on the number of treatments being delivered by your facility and the complexity of the plans.

BENEFITS OF DAO JAWS-ONLY IMRT

  • Improved plan quality
  • Improved patient comfort due to reduced treatment time
  • No need go in and out of the treatment room to replace blocks / wedges during treatment.
  • No electron contamination created from the blocks / wedges
  • The motor of the Jaws have been proven to be very reliable, and easily lasts for 5 or more years

Specifications

Imaging

Image Import

  • DICOM 3.0 and DICOM RT compatible, ATC compliant.
  • Automatic CT/MR/PET image data acquisition in DICOM 3.0 format.
  • Supports multiple patient scanning orientation positions (HFS, HFP, FFS, FFP, FFDL, FFDR, HFDL, HFDR).
  • Supports images with uniform and non-uniform spacing.
  • Supports scanner and digitizer interface with image rescaling ability. Scanned images can be rotated in 90-degree increments, or flipped 180-degrees.

Image Fusion

  • Support for CT, MRI, PET, SPECT images in DICOM 3.0 format
  • Automatic and Manual Image Fusion methods supported
  • Numerical 'fit' suggests the accuracy in the image registration
  • Up to ten fiducial markers can be used for registration on either of the image series
  • Advanced automatic and manual comprehensive contouring tools
  • Easy to use editing and correction tools
  • Undo, Redo contouring utility
  • Multiple Boolean Operators
  • Multiple 3D image set support
  • Asymmetric Margins
  • Easy checking tools including Aperture, Checkerboard and transparency
  • Individual window width and level adjustments for the master, slave series.
  • Master/Slave series can be changed anytime before contouring from the Image Fusion window
  • Contours can be drawn on either the master or slave image series

Contouring

Contouring Features

  • Support up to 60 volumes
  • Contouring can be done in Full Screen mode
  • Advanced Automatic and Manual comprehensive contouring tools
  • Multi-slice auto contouring for external and differentiated internal contours
  • Image crop tool allows volumes to be contoured with automatic tools
  • Manual contouring tools via point-by-point and continuous modes
  • Can overlay contours in the previous/next slices to facilitate manual contouring
  • Easy to use editing, correction tools. Add/delete/replace/move/paint/copy/scale using simple mouse operations.
  • Supports interpolation of the contours in the intermediate slices
  • Undo, Redo contouring tool support
  • Powerful Boolean Operators that can generate new contours from the existing ones using Intersection, Difference and Union logics.
  • Supports multiple Boolean operations
  • Asymmetric Margins with organ avoid feature
  • Zoom and pan controls
  • Contours can be drawn with a digitizer
  • Multiple 3D image set support
  • User chosen density values can be assigned to a given transverse image with mouse operations. Can also fill any contoured organ with a chosen density value.
  • Density values are displayed in the status bar when moving the mouse over the CT images.
  • User can de-select any selected tool (Paint brush, zoom in/out, etc.) by pressing the ESC key.
  • Scroll through non-transverse (sagittal, coronal) slices.
  • Easy cleanup of small erroneous contours created by automatic contouring tool.
  • Volume decimation allows users to delete and modify contours on a few slices; the rest can then be interpolated.
  • Both calculation points and fiducial markers can be visualized in the beam's eye view and moved in any of the views.

Planning

Plan Manager

  • Select, Copy, Delete, and Add plans.
  • Plan type: External, Brachytherapy, Composite, and Irregular.

Plan Template Manager

    Any plan can be exported as a template that can be used for future planning.
  • Some beam parameters can be edited during creation of a template or when imported.
  • New beams can be added or existing ones deleted in the plan template manager window.
  • Plan template allows the user to set the Isocenter of the beams to the Patient Origin, Center of Extents, Center of Mass, Cross Section of Markers, and Center of Markers.

Beam Setup

  • Beams can be added, edited, or deleted with quick, easy mouse operations.
  • Opposing beam creation (Copy Invert Beam).
  • MLC, Block shapes associated with the opposing beam are automatically inverted with one mouse click.
  • Beam summary can be displayed and updated in real time.
  • Display of current or all beams can be turned on or off.
  • All the parameters of the beams are available in the beam summary to view or quickly edit.
  • MUs are displayed for the calculated beams in the beam summary.
  • Support for hot-keys such as add, copy and delete beams.
  • Unlimited number of beams.
  • Real-time weighting and normalization

Other

  • Secured plan acceptance
  • Patient and planning data is file/folder based and can be sent back and forth via network or internet to satellite sites or laptops.
  • Overlap of the target volume with other volumes can be calculated and displayed in both cm3 and percentage of target volume.
  • Rotational beams and asymmetrical fields supported. 

Visualization Tools 

User-friendly graphical user interface, with a user-controlled screen layout displaying any of the four of the following views simultaneously

  • Room's Eye View
  • Transverse View
  • Coronal Reconstruction View
  • Sagittal Reconstruction View
  • Beam's Eye View (BEV)
  • Thumbnail (complete transverse image set)
  • 3D View

Common Tools

  • Any of the views can be displayed in the main window and can be zoomed to Full Screen.
  • Transverse images can be seen consecutively as a movie loop.
  • Any contour can be displayed or turned off
  • Contours can be viewed in either of the following display modes : Wireframe, Fill, Transparent or Solid
  • Fiducial markers and calculation points can be viewed or turned off
  • Zoom in and out and view in full screen
  • Isocenter, patient origin, and slice reconstruction origin can be turned on or off
  • Customizable print and plot settings

Beam's Eye View (BEV)

  • Anatomical organs can be seen as wire frame or turned off.
  • The following can be easily edited in BEV:
    • Beam size and shape
    • Collimator jaw for symmetric and asymmetric units
    • The position of the Isocenter
  • Real time display update of the current BEV when changing the collimator and gantry angles
  • Collimators can be "auto fit" to any selected organ with specified margin
  • Fiducial markers and calculation points can be displayed and moved in BEV
  • BEV display can be zoomed in and out and be viewed in full screen
  • BEV supports the display of DRR in real time
  • "Auto Fit" feature automatically fits to selected volume when a change is made to gantry or collimator angles.
  • Support for ruler tool in BEV
  • Beam's eye view region can be customized for printing
  • Current transverse slice position indicator in BEV

Digitally Reconstructed Radiograph (DRR)

  • DRR display can be set to dynamic or user-initiated for any change in the beam parameters
  • User selectable resolution : 128, 256, 512
  • Two interpolation options : Nearest Neighbor, Trilinear
  • Option to see any of the contoured organs in wire frame mode overlaid on the DRR
  • Window width and level adjustments for the DRR display
  • Advanced DRR control settings including :
    • Film size (square)
    • Ray Trace Step size
    • Source to Film Distance
    • Bone Threshold
    • Metal Threshold
    • Water Ratio
    • Bone Ratio
    • Metal Ratio
    • Gamma Factor
  • Option to limit DRR to external volume
  • Anatomical organs can be seen as wire frame or turned off
  • Personal settings can be saved customizing use for individual preferences as 'DRR template/library files'

Room's Eye View (REV)

  • In REV, the user can easily visualize the actual treatment geometry
  • Relative positioning of the patient with respect to the treatment unit in three dimensions can be viewed
  • Treatment unit can be viewed in solid or wireframe displays or can be turned off
  • Display is real time and instantly reflects any changes in the machine parameters
  • 3D view can be rotated or panned by simple mouse operations
  • Orientation glyph displays the current orientation of the patient. It can be turned on or off
  • Dose surface for any specified value can be viewed or turned off
  • 3D View can be coupled with the reconstructed CT image data in any plane. The planar selection is very efficient through simple mouse/keyboard operations.

Color wash and Isofill

  • Support for advanced color wash feature
  • Advanced color wash can be turned on or off
  • The lowest dose value is in deep blue and the highest in dark red
  • Dose values assigned to a specific color are user selectable (in adsolute dose or relative)
  • Selectable in either absolute dose values or relative
  • Option to have the Isodose curves over laid on the color wash
  • System supports color Isofill option where the dose between intermediate dose values can be filled with one color
  • Any two calculated plans can be compared side by side
  • Plans can be selected from a drop down list for comparison
  • Comparison can be in transverse, sagittal, coronal, 3D, REV, BEV, color wash or Isofill.
  • Both transverse planes can be simultaneously navigated through key board operation.

Dose Calculation

Dose Calculation Features

  • Supports two dose calculation algorithms
    • Fast Photon
    • Collapsed Cone convolution with or without heterogeneity correction
  • Dose display can be in absolute units or relative.
  • Non-coplanar beam calculations supported
  • Ray tracing to build effective depth tables
  • Calculation of output for Monitor Units
  • Dose grid can be overlaid on transverse sections
  • User defined dose grid. Its size can be increased or decreased by click and drag mouse operation
  • Multiple beam weight options: Isocenter, Dmax and MU. Support for Individual fractions for each beam.
  • Multiple normalization options: Un-Normalized, Isocenter, Max dose, Isodose
  • Dose can be prescribed to any user specified Isodose line
  • Points of interest can be placed with mouse operation or by entering co-ordinates and are reported in the dose summary print outs
  • User-defined machine and energy parameters
  • User-editable gray scale for density calibration
  • Detailed Plot/Hardcopy Outputs
  • Graphical output for all display windows
  • Complete beam parameter descriptions
  • Selection of plan summary system reports
  • User-defined plot magnification factor
  • Detailed physics summary
  • Dose contribution from each beam is displayed in the calc point summary.

Dose Volume Histogram

Dose Volume Histogram (DVH) Feature

  • Supports Comprehensive DVH analysis
  • All important DVH information is represented in one single window that represents both graphically and statistically.
  • DVH graph in either Integral and Differential mode display
  • The background color for the DVH graph can be changed to white or black at any time
  • User can enter the DVH Prescription, Dose Plot Maximum and Dose level values or alter them graphically
  • Volumes can be included or excluded into the DVH graphical analysis by simply clicking them
  • DVH can be compared between two plans. All calculated plans are available in a dropdown list.
  • Minimum, maximum, mean, median, modal, and EUD data are available in the DVH table as the entered percent volume value
  • Displays the percent volume that receives the entered dose value or greater
  • Support for a grid background, relative values, mouse tool tip and printing of multiple dose levels.

Exporting

Exporting Features

  • DICOM RT export of the patient's contours, treatment plans, DRRs and dose information
  • File name can be automatically changed during DICOM RT export through RTP
  • Can interface directly with VARiS (Varian), LANTIS (Siemens) and IMPAC record and verify systems
  • Can export all beams from a plan to reference the same patient setup
  • Add Reference Dose Sequence to RT Plan
  • Export MU per fraction for all plans
  • Export the interpolated dose value at the Isocenter

 

 

Features

DAO IMRT – Additional features

  • The delivery constraints on individual aperture shapes (formed either by MLC leaves or by movable Jaws) are directly taken into account into optimization process as well as the weights of the individual aperture shapes. There is no conversion from fluence maps to aperture shapes.
  • Simulated Annealing based optimization
  • Quick convergence ability of the algorithm reduces the time for optimization
  • 3mm x 3mm x CT Slice Thickness Voxel Spacing
  • Optimization option is a license controlled module that opens up as an additional window in the Prowess Panther treatment planning system.
  • Single window interface displaying the following features
  • Interactive, Real time DVH graphs display.
  • Graphical User interface to set and alter constraint settings in real time
  • Real time objective function in graphical display
  • Equivalent Uniform Dose (EUD) representation
  • Instant classification of organs into any of the three categories
    • Target Volumes
    • Critical Volumes
    • Ignored Volumes
  • User could add and edit any of the following definitions for the constraints either via GUI or keyboard entry
    • Points Less Than
    • Points Greater Than
    • Points Between
    • Points Outside
    • DVH Below
    • DVH Above
    • EUD Less Than
    • EUD Greater Than
  • Individual weighting for each constraints
  • Graphs can be viewed in Black or White background option
  • Option to store current constraint set into library and retrieve for future usage
  • Optimization can be paused and resumed as needed
  • On the fly optimization – Change constraints and weighting without pausing the optimization.
  • Customizable Number of Segments per beam
  • Display of fluence maps for each selected segment of the beam in BEV
  • Tabular display of sequential fluences for the segments of each beam
  • MU Display for each of the segment in total or per fraction options
  • Ability to allow user to change the sequence of the segments in any of the beams
  • Collapsed Cone Convolution Superposition with/without heterogeneity correction
  • DVH and Monitor Units (MU) can be scaled by using a slide bar for easy plan normalization
  • Constraints can be set for beam MU, segment MU and segment area

IMRT QA

  • Customizable IMRT QA settings such as:
    • Predefined isocenter
    • Set gantry to point to floor
    • Automatically start calculation
    • Separate plan for each beam
  • Single click export of IMRT plans to QA phantom
  • Supports scanned QA Phantoms
  • Supports Mapcheck, RadCal and other QA software
  • Monitor Units (MU) can be edited

Recommended Hardware Requirements

  • 2 x Quad-Core Xeon E5450 3GHz
  • RAM Memory: 4 GB
  • DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM
  • Hard Disk: 250GB
  • Video Card: ATI Radeon HD2600 PRO
  • Ethernet Card: Gigabit Ethernet
  • Monitor: Capable of displaying (1280 x 1024 pixels) and 32 bit Color