Combined imaging and radiation therapy
AssigneeAnalogic Corporation
InventorJohn P. O'Connor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
One or more techniques and/or systems described herein provide for examining an object (e.g., a tumor in a patient) and subsequently treating the object. The examination and treatment generally occur very close to one another in time, with the patient remaining on a support article (e.g., on a bed or in a chair) during both the examination and the treatment. In this way, a position of the tumor and/or orientation of the tumor relative to the patient is substantially fixed during both the examination and the treatment. In one embodiment, a support article is configured to rotate during the examination and/or treatment. In this way, the object can be examined (e.g., and volumetric data related to the object can be acquired) and/or treated without moving portions of the imaging and/or treatment apparatus, for example.
Claims20
An apparatus, comprising:
- an imaging apparatus configured to perform an examination on an object;
- a treatment apparatus configured to develop a treatment plan based at least in part upon the examination and to perform a treatment on the object according to the treatment plan;
- and
- a support article configured to support the object in a substantially same orientation relative to the support article during both the examination and the treatment, the support article comprising one or more receptors for receiving at least a portion of the object and configured to pivot about an axis of rotation during at least one of the examination or the treatment.
A method comprising:
- examining an object situated on a support article to develop a treatment plan;
- treating the object based upon the treatment plan while the object remains situated on the support article;
- and
- rotating the object and the support article about an axis of rotation during at least one of the examining or the treating, the support article substantially affixed to a floor of an operation room during both the examining and the treating.
An apparatus for treating at least one of breast cancer, prostate cancer or testicular cancer, comprising:
- a support article comprising a receptor for receiving at least one of breast tissue, prostate tissue or testicular tissue of a patient;
- an imaging apparatus configured to perform an examination on the at least one of breast tissue, prostate tissue or testicular tissue while the patient is supported by the support article;
- and
- a treatment apparatus configured to perform a treatment on the at least one of breast tissue, prostate tissue or testicular tissue while the patient is supported by the support article,
- the support article configured to pivot about an axis during at least one of the examination or the treatment causing a position of the at least one of breast tissue, prostate tissue or testicular tissue to change relative to at least one of the imaging apparatus or the treatment apparatus,
- the examination and the treatment performed while the patient remains in a substantially fixed orientation relative to the support article.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.