Heart treatment kit, system, and method for radiosurgically alleviating arrhythmia

A radiosurgical method for treating a patient body having a heart, the heart having a non-tumorous disease, the method comprising:

• acquiring three dimensional planning image data from the heart;
• planning an ionizing radiation treatment of a target region of the heart using the three dimensional planning image data so as to mitigate the disease;
• after the planning of the treatment, implanting a position surrogate within the body by advancing at least one elongate flexible body through a blood vessel and coupling the surrogate to tissue so that the surrogate exhibits movement induced by a heart beat;
• remodeling the target region of the heart by directing the planned radiation from outside the body toward the target region with reference to the implanted surrogate;
• registering the planning image data with the implanted surrogate by acquiring registration data between the implanting of the surrogate and the remodeling of the target region, the registration data encompassing the heart and the implanted surrogate, wherein the registration data comprises three dimensional image data;
• and
• segmenting a surface of the heart in the planning image data, segmenting the surface of the heart in the registration data, and registering the planning image data with the implanted surrogate using the surface segments.

A radiosurgical method for treating a patient body having a heart, the heart having a non-tumorous disease, the method comprising:

• acquiring three dimensional planning image data from the heart;
• planning an ionizing radiation treatment of a target region of the heart using the three dimensional planning image data so as to mitigate the disease;
• after the planning of the treatment, implanting a position surrogate within the body by advancing at least one elongate flexible body through a blood vessel and coupling the surrogate to tissue so that the surrogate exhibits movement induced by a heart beat;
• remodeling the target region of the heart by directing the planned radiation from outside the body toward the target region with reference to the implanted surrogate;
• registering the planning image data with the implanted surrogate by acquiring registration data between the implanting of the surrogate and the remodeling of the target region, the registration data encompassing the heart and the implanted surrogate;
• and
• wherein the planning image data and the registration data are each acquired while contrast is disposed in a chamber or vessel bordered by a blood/tissue interface surface, and wherein the surrogate is registered with reference to the blood/tissue interface surface.

A radiosurgical system for treating a patient body with a heart, the heart having a non-tumorous disease, the system comprising:

• an image capture device for acquiring three dimensional planning image data from the heart;
• an implantable position surrogate having a tissue affixation surface for releasable coupling of the surrogate with a tissue of the heart within the body so that the surrogate exhibits movement induced by a heart beat;
• a radiation source for transmitting a plurality of beams of ionizing radiation from outside the body;
• and
• a processor system comprising a planning module having an input for identifying a target region of the heart, the planning module configured to generate a plan of the radiation beams in response to the target region and the planning image data, the processor system coupled with the radiation source so as to direct the radiation beams toward the target region with reference to the implanted surrogate such that the radiation beams mitigate the disease by remodeling the target region of the heart;
• a planning image heart beat cycle sensor coupled with the image capture device and the processor system, the planning image data comprising a time series of three dimensional image data sets distributed throughout a heart beat cycle so as to indicate heart tissue movement with the heart beat cycle;
• wherein the planning module is configured for planning of the radiation beams by identifying radiation sensitive collateral tissue, and by determining a series of radiation beams suitable for providing a desired radiation dose in the target region without excessively irradiating collateral tissue;
• and
• further comprising a treatment heart beat cycle sensor coupled with the processor system so as to monitor the heart beat cycle of the body while remodeling the target region, and a robot for altering alignment between the body and the radiation source;
• wherein the processor system is configured to direct the desired radiation dose to the target region by tracking at least a portion of the movement of the surrogate with the robot in response to the monitored heart beat cycle while directing the radiation to the target region.

A radiosurgical system for treating a patient body with a heart, the heart having a non-tumorous disease, the system comprising:

• an image capture device for acquiring three dimensional planning image data from the heart;
• an implantable position surrogate having a tissue affixation surface for releasable coupling of the surrogate with a tissue of the heart within the body so that the surrogate exhibits movement induced by a heart beat;
• a radiation source for transmitting a plurality of beams of ionizing radiation from outside the body;
• and
• a processor system comprising a planning module having an input for identifying a target region of the heart, the planning module configured to generate a plan of the radiation beams in response to the target region and the planning image data, the processor system coupled with the radiation source so as to direct the radiation beams toward the target region with reference to the implanted surrogate such that the radiation beams mitigate the disease by remodeling the target region of the heart;
• wherein the processor system is configured to register the planning image data with the implanted surrogate in response to registration data acquired after implanting of the surrogate, the registration data encompassing the heart and the implanted surrogate;
• and
• wherein the registration data comprises three dimensional image data, and wherein the processor system is configured to segment a surface of the heart in the planning image data, segment the surface of the heart in the registration data, and register the planning image data with the implanted surrogate using the surface segments.

A radiosurgical system for treating a patient body with a heart, the heart having a non-tumorous disease, the system comprising:

• an image capture device for acquiring three dimensional planning image data from the heart;
• an implantable position surrogate having a tissue affixation surface for releasable coupling of the surrogate with a tissue of the heart within the body so that the surrogate exhibits movement induced by a heart beat;
• a radiation source for transmitting a plurality of beams of ionizing radiation from outside the body;
• and
• a processor system comprising a planning module having an input for identifying a target region of the heart, the planning module configured to generate a plan of the radiation beams in response to the target region and the planning image data, the processor system coupled with the radiation source so as to direct the radiation beams toward the target region with reference to the implanted surrogate such that the radiation beams mitigate the disease by remodeling the target region of the heart;
• wherein the processor system is configured to register the planning image data with the implanted surrogate in response to registration data acquired after implanting of the surrogate, the registration data encompassing the heart and the implanted surrogate;
• and
• further comprising imaging contrast, the planning image data and the registration data each being acquired while the contrast is disposed in a chamber or vessel bordered by a blood/tissue interface surface, wherein the processor system is configured to register the surrogate with reference to the blood/tissue interface surface.