Apparatus for and method of performing stereotaxic surgery

An apparatus for carrying out radiosurgery by selectively irradiating a target region of living tissue within a living organism, comprising:

• a digital data storage memory having stored therein a 3-dimensional mapping of at least a portion of the living organism, the mapping covering a mapping region which includes and is larger than the target region;
• a beaming apparatus which, when activated, is adapted to emit a collimated radio surgical beam of a strength sufficient to cause the target region to become necrotic;
• means for selectively activating the beaming apparatus;
• means for passing first and second diagnostic beams, which are separate and distinct from said radiosurgical beam, through the mapping region substantially simultaneously, the first and second diagnostic beams being at a known non-zero angle relative to one another, to produce respective first and second images of respective first and second projections within the mapping region;
• means for producing first and second digital electronic images representative of the first and second images;
• means for digitally comparing the 3-dimensional mapping in digital form with the electronic images representative of the first and second images sufficiently close in time after said images are produced to derive therefrom data representative of a real time location of the target region;
• and
• means for adjusting the relative positions of the beaming apparatus and the living organism as needed due to any movement of the target region relative to the collimated beam in response to the data representative of the real time location of the target region in such a manner that the collimated beam, when activated, is continuously focused onto the target region.

A method for selectively aligning a target region within a living organism with a linearly extendable surgical instrumentality, comprising:

• preparing a 3-dimensional mapping of at least a portion of the living organism, the mapping covering a mapping region which includes and is larger than the target region;
• storing the mapping as reference data in digital form;
• positioning the organism with the mapping region within the target region of a surgical apparatus which, when activated, causes the linearly extendable surgical instrumentality to extend to the target region;
• substantially simultaneously passing first and second diagnostic beams, which are separate and distinct from said instrumentality, through the mapping region, the first and second diagnostic beams being at a known non-zero angle relative to one another, to produce respective first and second images of respective first and second projections within the mapping region;
• producing first and second electronic images representative of the first and second images;
• comparing the first and second electronic images with the reference data to provide 3-dimensional position data representative of the relative spatial locations of the linearly extending surgical instrumentality and of the target region, said first and second images being compared with said reference data sufficiently close in time after said images are produced by said first and second diagnostic beams such that said data represents substantially the real time locations of said instrumentality and the target region relative to one another;
• and
• adjusting the relative positions of the surgical apparatus and the living organism in such a manner that the linearly extending surgical instrumentality is aimed at the target region.

An apparatus for selectively aligning a target region of living tissue within a living organism with a linearly extendable surgical instrumentality, comprising:

• a data storage memory having stored therein a 3-dimensional mapping of at least a portion of the living organism, the mapping covering a mapping region which includes and is larger than the target region;
• a surgical apparatus which, when activated, is adapted to extend a linearly extendable surgical instrumentality to the target region;
• means for selectively activating the surgical apparatus;
• means for substantially simultaneously passing first and second diagnostic beams, which are separate and distinct from said instrumentality, through the mapping region periodically, the first and second diagnostic beams being at a known non-zero angle relative to one another, to produce periodically pairs of respective first and second images of respective pairs of first and second projections within the mapping region;
• means for producing first and second digital electronic images representative of the first and second images;
• means for comparing the 3-dimensional mapping in digital form with the first and second digital electronic images representative of the first and second images sufficiently close in time after said images are produced to derive therefrom data representative of a 3-dimensional real time location of the target region;
• and
• means for adjusting relative positions of the surgical apparatus and the living organism in response to the data representative of the 3-dimensional real time location of the target region in such a manner that the linearly extending surgical instrumentality, when activated, is aimed at the target region.

A method for carrying out radiosurgery by selectively irradiating a target region within a living organism, comprising:

• preparing a 3-dimensional mapping of at least a portion of the living organism, the mapping covering a mapping region which includes and is larger than the target region;
• storing the mapping as reference data;
• positioning the organism with the mapping region within the target region of a radiosurgical beaming apparatus which, when activated, emits a collimated radiosurgical beam from a beam aiming member forming part of the apparatus via a path through a mass of healthy tissue of a strength sufficient to cause the target region to become necrotic, said apparatus being operated in a way which causes said aiming member to move continuously along a path transverse to the beam during radiosurgery;
• during movement of said aiming member, passing first and second diagnostic beams, which are separate and distinct from the radiosurgical beam, through the mapping region substantially simultaneously, the first and second diagnostic beams being at a known non-zero angle relative to one another, to produce respective first and second images of respective first and second projections within the mapping region;
• producing first and second digital electronic images representative of the first and second images;
• digitally comparing the first and second electronic images with the reference data in digital form to provide position data representative of relative spatial locations of the collimated beam and of the target region, said first and second images being compared with said reference data sufficiently close in time after said images are produced by said first and second diagnostic beams such that said position data substantially represents real time spatial locations of the collimated beam and the target region relative to one another;
• in response to said real time spatial locations of said collimated beam and target region, adjusting the relative positions of the beaming apparatus and the living organism in such a manner that the collimated beam is focused onto the target region;
• activating the beaming apparatus and thereafter maintaining it in its activated state for the time necessary to provide a desired amount of irradiation;
• as radiosurgery is carried out, periodically repeating the comparing step at small time intervals during movement of said aiming member using newly produced first and second images such that any movement of the target region relative to the focus of the collimated beam is detected in substantially real time;
• and
• repeating the adjusting step, as needed, to maintain the focus of the collimated beam on the target region.