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Updated: May 2, 2026

Radiation Planning Assistant - A Streamlined, Fully Automated Radiotherapy Treatment Planning System
Published on: April 11, 2018
Development and comprehensive commissioning of an automated brachytherapy plan checker
Samantha J Simiele1, Xiaoping Chen1, Choonik Lee1
1Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
Purpose:
To present on the commissioning of an automated brachytherapy plan checker (BPC) for the evaluation of high-dose-rate brachytherapy treatment plans in support of standardized workflows and patient safety.
Methods And Materials:
A BPC was developed using an applications programming interface in a commercial treatment planning system based on different inputs (e.g., regulations, professional society recommendations, and user feedback) and leveraged our experience with an in-house developed external beam plan checker. The BPC was commissioned using a comprehensive suite of test plans with known errors and anonymized clinical plans.
Results:
During commissioning, the BPC was successfully executed on a total of 87 test plans. Commissioning tests spanned a range of treatment sites and evaluated that pass and fail states were correct. Administration settings were changed in a nonclinical database to evaluate tests involving the source and afterloader. Clinical testing of the BPC was then performed in parallel with a manual review process before clinical implementation.
Conclusions:
To commission the BPC for clinical use, a comprehensive suite of test plans was developed and used to ensure the BPC correctly detected and reported errors. A summary of the test plans is presented to help guide users developing similar automated tools. The BPC represents a process-improvement initiative designed to reduce errors and improve safety for brachytherapy patients. By using a comprehensive test suite for commissioning, tests are available for periodic quality assurance and after software upgrades.
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