Dynamic radiation therapy simulation system
AssigneeBoard of Trustees of the University of Arkansas
InventorsYulong Yan, Xuejun Weng, Vaneerat Ratanatharathorn, Jose Penagaricano
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Abstract
A system for dynamic treatment simulation for radiotherapy. Software is implemented on a computer system to perform dynamic simulation by displaying every segment of dynamic treatment beams on top of real-time fluoroscopic image sequences. Automated distortion correction of the fluoroscopic image due to the image intensifier is performed in real-time. A respiration phase indicator measures changes in circumference of the patient's chest through the movement of a radio-opaque marker that appears directly in the fluoroscopic images of the patient.
Claims4
A method for dynamic radiation therapy simulation of a treatment plan for a patient, comprising the steps of:
- storing on a computer readable medium a set of reference images of the patient,
- planning a multi-leaf collimator plan for dynamic radiation therapy for the patient comprising a sequence of plan images and storing said plan images on a computer readable medium;
- acguiring a sequence of real-time fluoroscopic images of the patient over at least one respiration cycle of the patient;
- correcting image intensifier distortion of said fluoroscopic images in real-time;
- and
- displaying the plan or reference images overlying the corrected fluoroscopic images in real-time;
- wherein a respiration cycle indicator indicates the respiratory cycle by changes in the circumference of the patient's chest;
- and
- wherein said respiration cycle indicator comprises a belt for encircling the patient's chest, said belt having an elastic portion extending between a first point and a second point on said belt;
- a tube having a first end in a fixed relationship to said first point;
- a flexible wire having a first end affixed to said second point, said wire passing through said tube and extending beyond a second end of said tube;
- a radio-opaque marker attached to a second end of said flexible wire whereby changes in circumference of the patient's chest effect a linear translation of said marker.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.