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US 7,945,021 B2Granted
Multi-mode cone beam CT radiotherapy simulator and treatment machine with a flat panel imager
AssigneeVarian Medical Systems, Inc.
InventorsEdward G. Shapiro, Edward J. Seppi, John M. Pavkovich, Peter Munro, Stanley W. Johnsen, Richard E. Colbeth
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Abstract
A multi-mode cone beam computed tomography radiotherapy simulator and treatment machine is disclosed. The radiotherapy simulator and treatment machine both include a rotatable gantry on which is positioned a cone-beam radiation source and a flat panel imager. The flat panel imager captures x-ray image data to generate cone-beam CT volumetric images used to generate a therapy patient position setup and a treatment plan.
Claims77
An apparatus, comprising:
- a radiation treatment system capable of implementing a treatment plan, the system comprising:
- a frame;
- a rotatable gantry coupled to the frame;
- a high-energy radiation source coupled to the rotatable gantry to radiate a patient with therapeutic radiation;
- a cone-beam radiation source coupled to the rotatable gantry to radiate the patient;
- a flat-panel imager coupled to the rotatable gantry, wherein the flat-panel imager is operable to capture image projection data of the patient from the cone-beam radiation source to generate cone-beam computed tomography (CT) volumetric image data of the patient;
- and
- a computing unit, coupled to the rotatable gantry via a communications network, to store the image projection data captured by the flat-panel imager.
5 more elements
An apparatus, comprising:
- a radiation treatment system capable of implementing a treatment plan, the system comprising:
- a frame;
- a rotatable gantry coupled to the frame;
- a high-energy radiation source coupled to the rotatable gantry to radiate a patient with therapeutic radiation;
- a cone-beam radiation source coupled to the rotatable gantry to radiate the patient;
- and
- a flat-panel imager coupled to the rotatable gantry, wherein the flat-panel imager is operable to capture image projection data of the patient from the cone-beam radiation source to generate cone-beam computed tomography (CT) volumetric image data of the patient, wherein the flat-panel imager includes an amorphous silicon sensor array, and wherein the flat-panel imager includes a cesium iodide scintillator for kilovoltage imaging.
4 more elements
An apparatus, comprising:
- a radiation treatment system capable of implementing a treatment plan, the system comprising:
- a frame;
- a rotatable gantry coupled to the frame;
- a high-energy radiation source coupled to the rotatable gantry to radiate a patient with therapeutic radiation;
- a cone-beam radiation source coupled to the rotatable gantry to radiate the patient;
- and
- a flat-panel imager coupled to the rotatable gantry, wherein the flat-panel imager is operable to capture image projection data of the patient from the cone-beam radiation source to generate cone-beam computed tomography (CT) volumetric image data of the patient, wherein the flat-panel imager is capable of generating image projection data at 15 to 30 frames per second.
4 more elements
An apparatus, comprising:
- a radiation treatment system capable of implementing a treatment plan, the system comprising:
- a frame;
- a rotatable gantry coupled to the frame;
- a high-energy radiation source coupled to the rotatable gantry to radiate a patient with therapeutic radiation;
- a cone-beam radiation source coupled to the rotatable gantry to radiate the patient;
- a flat-panel imager coupled to the rotatable gantry, wherein the flat-panel imager is operable to capture image projection data of the patient from the cone-beam radiation source to generate cone-beam computed tomography (CT) volumetric image data of the patient;
- and
- a translatable treatment couch coupled to the rotatable gantry via a communications network.
5 more elements
An apparatus, comprising:
- a radiation treatment system capable of implementing a treatment plan, the system comprising:
- a frame;
- a rotatable gantry coupled to the frame;
- a high-energy radiation source coupled to the rotatable gantry to radiate a patient with therapeutic radiation;
- a cone-beam radiation source coupled to the rotatable gantry to radiate the patient;
- a flat-panel imager coupled to the rotatable gantry, wherein the flat-panel imager is operable to capture image projection data of the patient from the cone-beam radiation source to generate cone-beam computed tomography (CT) volumetric image data of the patient, wherein the a flat-panel imager is a flat-panel KV imager;
- and
- a flat-panel MV portal imager coupled to the rotatable gantry, wherein the MV imager is operable to capture image projection data of the patient produced by the high-energy MV radiation source.
5 more elements
A method to perform a clinical treatment, comprising:
- rotating a gantry pivotably coupled at a pivot point to a frame of a clinical radiation treatment machine capable of implementing a treatment plan;
- irradiating a patient with a radiation source;
- using the clinical radiation treatment machine to capture image projection data from a flat-panel imager for generating cone-beam computed tomography (CT) volumetric image data;
- and
- modifying a treatment plan for the clinical treatment machine based on the cone-beam volumetric image data.
2 more elements
A method to perform a clinical treatment, comprising:
- rotating a gantry pivotably coupled at a pivot point to a frame of a clinical radiation treatment machine capable of implementing a treatment plan;
- irradiating a patient with a radiation source;
- and
- capturing image projection data from a flat-panel imager using the clinical radiation treatment machine, the image projection data for generating cone-beam computed tomography (CT) volumetric image data, wherein capturing comprises capturing the image projection data at a frame rate in the range of 15-30 frames per second.
1 more element
A method to perform a clinical treatment, comprising:
- rotating a gantry pivotably coupled at a pivot point to a frame of a clinical radiation treatment machine capable of implementing a treatment plan;
- irradiating a patient with a radiation source;
- using the clinical radiation treatment machine to capture image projection data from a flat-panel imager for generating cone-beam computed tomography (CT) volumetric image data, wherein the radiation source is a cone-beam computed tomography radiation source, wherein the image projection data is generated from a flat-panel imager capturing radiation from the cone-beam computed tomography radiation source passing through a target volume;
- deriving a master clock signal from a synchronization signal of the radiation source;
- using the master clock signal to generate a first control pulse to gate the radiation source on and off and a second control pulse to trigger reading of an image from the imager;
- and
- selecting a timing of the first control pulse as compared to the second control pulse to read out the image while the radiation source is off.
4 more elements
A method to perform a clinical treatment, comprising:
- rotating a gantry pivotably coupled at a pivot point to a frame of a clinical radiation treatment machine capable of implementing a treatment plan;
- irradiating a patient with a radiation source;
- using the clinical radiation treatment machine to capture image projection data from a flat-panel imager for generating cone-beam computed tomography (CT) volumetric image data, wherein the radiation source is a cone-beam computed tomography radiation source, wherein the image projection data is generated from a tlat-panel imager capturing radiation from the cone-beam computed tomography radiation source passing through a target volume;
- continuously rotating the radiation source about the target volume while capturing image projection data;
- and
- one of capturing image projection data at non-uniformly spaced angles with respect to the rotation, and changing the speed of rotation of the gantry during a rotation.
3 more elements
A method to perform a clinical treatment, comprising:
- rotating a gantry pivotably coupled at a pivot point to a frame of a clinical radiation treatment machine capable of implementing a treatment plan;
- irradiating a patient with a radiation source;
- using the clinical radiation treatment machine to capture image projection data from a flat-panel imager for generating cone-beam computed tomography (CT) volumetric image data, wherein the radiation source is a cone-beam computed tomography radiation source, wherein the image projection data is generated from a flat-panel imager capturing radiation from the cone-beam computed tomography radiation source passing through a target volume;
- and
- continuously rotating the radiation source about the target volume while capturing image projection data.
2 more elements
An apparatus, comprising:
- one of a radiation simulation system comprising logic configured to determine a patient position relative to a high-energy radiation treatment beam and a radiation treatment system comprising logic configured to implement a treatment plan for a high-energy radiation treatment, the logic comprising at least one of hardwired logic and a programmable computer component, the system comprising:
- a frame;
- a rotatable gantry pivotably coupled to the frame at a pivot point;
- means for applying a cone-beam computed tomography (CT) radiation beam coupled to the rotatable gantry;
- and
- means for capturing image projection data with a flat-panel imager, coupled to the rotatable gantry, to generate cone-beam computed tomography (CT) volumetric image data of a patient's anatomy.
3 more elements
A machine-readable medium selected from the group consisting of solid-state memories, optical disks, and magnetic disks;
- the machine-readable medium having instructions to cause a machine to perform a method to perform a clinical treatment, the method comprising:
- rotating a gantry pivotably coupled at a pivot point to a frame of a clinical radiation treatment machine capable of implementing a treatment plan;
- irradiating a patient with a radiation source;
- and
- instructing the clinical radiation treatment machine to capture image projection data from a flat-panel imager for generating cone-beam computed tomography (CT) volumetric image data.
2 more elements
An apparatus, comprising:
- a clinical radiation treatment system capable of implementing a treatment plan, the system comprising:
- a frame;
- a rotatable gantry coupled to the frame;
- a high-energy radiation source coupled to the rotatable gantry to radiate a patient with therapeutic radiation;
- a cone-beam radiation source coupled to the rotatable gantry to radiate the patient;
- and
- a flat-panel imager coupled to the rotatable gantry, wherein the flat-panel imager captures fluoroscopic or cone-beam CT imaging image projection data of the patient from the cone-beam radiation source to generate fluoroscopic or cone-beam computed tomography (CT) volumetric image data of the patient.
4 more elements
An apparatus, comprising:
- a radiation treatment simulation system comprising logic configured to determine a patient position relative to a high-energy radiation treatment beam, the logic comprising at least one of hardwired logic and a programmable computer component, the system comprising:
- a frame;
- a rotatable gantry pivotably coupled to the frame at a pivot point;
- a cone-beam imaging radiation source coupled to the rotatable gantry to radiate a patient;
- and
- a flat-panel imager coupled to the rotatable gantry, wherein the flat-panel imager is operable to capture image projection data of the patient to generate cone-beam computed tomography (CT) volumetric image data of the patient.
3 more elements
A method to perform a clinical treatment simulation, comprising:
- rotating a gantry pivotably coupled at a pivot point to a frame of a clinical treatment simulator machine comprising logic configured to implement a treatment plan for a high-energy radiation treatment beam, the logic comprising at least one of hardwired logic and a programmable computer component;
- irradiating a patient with a radiation source;
- and
- using the clinical treatment simulator machine to capture image projection data from a flat-panel imager for generating cone-beam computed tomography (CT) volumetric image data.
1 more element
A method to perform a clinical treatment simulation, comprising:
- rotating a gantry pivotably coupled at a pivot point to a frame of a clinical simulator machine comprising logic configured to determine a patient position relative to a high-energy radiation treatment beam, the logic comprising at least one of hardwired logic and a programmable computer component;
- irradiating a patient with a radiation source;
- and
- using the clinical simulator machine to capture fluoroscopic or cone-beam CT imaging image projection data from a flat-panel imager for generating fluoroscopic or cone-beam computed tomography (CT) volumetric image data.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.