Image-guided medical intervention apparatus and method

An image-guided radiotherapy apparatus for treatment of a patient, comprising:

• a gantry;
• a radiotherapy accelerator adapted to generate a therapeutically effective beam of at least one of X-rays, gamma rays, and electrons, the radiotherapy accelerator coupled to the gantry and movable through a range of different positions and orientations to change trajectory of the therapeutically effective beam;
• and
• a PET detector coupled to the gantry and movable through a range of different positions and orientations about a patient area in which a patient's PET image can be taken, the patient area comprising at least one location through which the therapeutically effective beam of the radiotherapy accelerator passes in at least one position and orientation of the radiotherapy accelerator.

A method of administering image-guided radiotherapy, comprising:

• adjusting at least one of a position and orientation of a radiotherapy radiation source with respect to a patient;
• changing a radiation trajectory of the radiotherapy radiation source to a desired radiation trajectory by adjusting the at least one of a position and orientation of the radiotherapy radiation source, the desired radiation trajectory passing through the patient;
• emitting a beam of therapeutically effective radiation from the radiotherapy radiation source along the desired radiation trajectory;
• adjusting at least one of a position and orientation of a gamma ray photon imaging device with respect to the patient;
• detecting gamma ray photons with the gamma ray photon imaging device, the gamma ray photons emitted from the patient proximate a location along the desired radiation trajectory at which the desired radiation trajectory intersects the patient;
• and
• generating an image representative of the patient based at least in part upon locations on the gamma ray photon imaging device at which gamma ray photons are detected.