Beam orientation selection for intensity modulated radiation therapy based on target equivalent uniform dose maximization

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Purpose: Manual beam selection for Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) can be difficult due to the non-intuitive dose contribution of each beam to the target and critical structures. Selecting a large number of different beam orientations may produce a satisfactory treatment plan, but would also greatly increase treatment time. An appropriately chosen small number of beam orientations can help reduce treatment time, while producing a satisfactory dose distribution. This work presents an automated scheme which selects a set of beam orientations that maximizes target Equivalent Uniform Dose (EUD) while satisfying user inputs of critical structure dose-volume histogram (DVH) constraints, minimum entry angle between beams, and number of orientations.