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US 8,076,657 B2Granted
Ion radiation therapy system having magnetic fan beam former
AssigneeWisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
InventorsThomas R. Mackie, David C. Westerly
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved beam forming system for ions used in radiation treatment employs a magnet system of successive quadrupole magnets to convert an ion pencil beam to a fan beam with reduced neutrons production compared with conventional beam spreading techniques using scattering foils.
Claims10
An ion therapy machine for treatment of a patient comprising:
- a treatment head positionable about a patient support for directing a beam of ions toward the patient over a range of angles;
- and
- a magnet system providing at least two quadrupole magnets within the treatment head receiving a pencil beam of ions and spreading them into a fan beam by magnetic deflection, the quadrupole magnets positioned successively along an axis of the pencil beam and aligned to provide divergence of the pencil beam along a common divergence plane;
- whereby the production of excess neutrons from a beam spreading foil is avoided.
1 more element
An ion therapy machine for treatment of a patient comprising:
- a treatment head positionable about a patient support for directing a beam of ions toward the patient over a range of angles;
- and
- a magnet system within the treatment head receiving a pencil beam of ions and spreading them into a fan beam by magnetic deflection, wherein the magnet system comprises at least at least two quadrupole magnets positioned successively along an axis of the pencil beam of ions with two quadrupole magnets having substantially aligned magnetic axes;
- and
- a means for adjusting a separation of the pair of quadrupole magnets along the axis to change a cross-sectional dimension of the fan beam;
- whereby the production of excess neutrons from beam spreading foils is avoided.
3 more elements
A method of treating a patient with a beam of ions comprising:
- (a) generating a pencil beam of ions;
- (b) receiving the beam of ions with at least two quadrupole magnets aligned to each spread the pencil beam into a fan beam by magnetic deflection in a common plane, the fan beam's largest cross-sectional axis extending along a plane;
- and
- (c) directing the fan beam at a patient at a variety of angles within the plane about the patient.
1 more element
A method of treating a patient with a beam of ions comprising:
- (a) generating a pencil beam of ions;
- (b) receiving the beam of ions with a magnet system to spread the pencil beam into a fan beam by magnetic deflection, the fan beam's largest cross-sectional axis extending along a plane;
- wherein the magnet system comprises a pair of quadrupole magnets positioned successively along an axis of the pencil beam of ions with each quadrupole magnet rotated 0° about the axis with respect to the others and further including the step of dynamically changing a separation of the quadrupole magnets to change the cross-section of the fan beam during treatment;
- and
- (c) directing the fan beam at a patient at a variety of angles within the plane about the patient.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.