METHODS, APPARATUS, AND COMPUTER-PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR INCREASING ACCURACY IN CONE-BEAM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
Granted: December 8, 2011
Application Number:
20110299652
Disclosed are methods, systems, and computer-product programs for increasing accuracy in cone-beam computed tomography.
Apparatus and Method to Facilitate Generating a Treatment Plan for Irradiating a Patient's Treatment Volume
Granted: November 17, 2011
Application Number:
20110280373
One provides (101) a plurality of different treatment plans for a given patient, wherein at least one such plans is provided by using deformation information that is obtained by using historical information for persons other than the given patient regarding physical changes over time as correspond to at least one volume within the given patient and/or calculated information regarding physical changes as correspond to the at least one volume within the patient. Obtained data (102) as…
Method and Apparatus Pertaining to Rendering an Image to Convey Levels of Confidence with Respect to Materials Identification
Granted: November 17, 2011
Application Number:
20110280440
A control circuit accesses image information regarding an image of a target. This information comprises, at least in part, information regarding material content of the target. The control circuit also accesses confidence information regarding at least one degree of confidence as pertains to the target's material content. The control circuit uses this confidence information to facilitate rendering the image such that the rendered image integrally conveys information both about materials…
Method and Apparatus Pertaining to Developing Care Paths
Granted: November 17, 2011
Application Number:
20110282685
A control circuit develops, in parallel, a plurality of care paths for at least one corresponding patient. This can comprise, for these care paths, serially completing a plurality of corresponding care-path-development phases (using, for example, input information of choice). Then, pursuant to these teachings and before concluding development of at least one of these care paths (and upon determining a change to the aforementioned input information during the developing process),…
Reducing Variation in Radiation Therapy Treatment Planning
Granted: November 3, 2011
Application Number:
20110267343
A method and apparatus are disclosed that reduces variation in radiation therapy treatment planning among plurality of users within the same or different geographic locations. The system includes a method and an apparatus that provide users with the knowledge information and utilizing the knowledge information to contour target volumes for radiation treatment planning. The mode of operation includes utilizing a stand-alone workstation or a server computer connected to the plurality of…
TREATMENT PLAN OPTIMIZATION METHOD FOR RADIOTHERAPY
Granted: November 3, 2011
Application Number:
20110268249
Systems and methods for providing radiosurgery treatment to a patient by combining methods from both traditional radiosurgery and radiotherapy are disclosed. A dose sufficient to kill tissue is applied to a target area while a steep drop off, or gradient, is provided at the border between the target area and adjacent areas so that other portions of the brain or nearby structures or organs are not damaged. The treatment plan is optimized by using both measures known in the art along with…
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MONITORING RADIATION TREATMENT
Granted: October 13, 2011
Application Number:
20110249088
A method of monitoring radiation treatment employs a video camera directed to at least a portion of a patient and/or patient support and at least a portion of a radiation machine. The direction of movement of the radiation machine and/or clearance between at least a portion of the radiation machine and the patient are determined by a control system. Graphics indicating the direction of movement of the machine and/or the clearance between the machine and the patient are overlaid on the…
TRANSIENT PIXEL DEFECT DETECTION AND CORRECTION
Granted: September 29, 2011
Application Number:
20110235940
A method of processing images produced by an imaging system includes detecting transient defects by comparing the value of a selected pixel with values of a plurality of the neighboring pixels, excluding known defective pixels. The value of the selected pixel may be compared with the maximal or minimal value of the neighboring pixels, and if the comparison shows that the value of the selected pixel exceeds the maximal or minimal value by a predetermined value, then the pixel may be…
RADIATION SENSITIVE LIPOSOMES
Granted: September 8, 2011
Application Number:
20110217236
The present invention relates to a radiation sensitive liposome, and the use of this liposome as carrier for therapeutic and diagnostic agent(s). In particular, the invention encompasses a liposomal delivery system, comprising a stable liposome-forming lipid and a polymerizable colipid, a fraction of which polymerizable colipid polymerizes upon exposure to ionizing, radiation, thereby destabilizing the liposomal membrane. Destabilization of liposomes allows for leakage of liposomal…
PRONE PATIENT POSITIONING DEVICES AND METHODS
Granted: August 18, 2011
Application Number:
20110200178
A radiotherapy couch top includes a cantilevered section adapted to support at least a portion of a prone patient's upper body. The cantilevered section may be provided with an opening configured to allow at least a portion of the body portion to extend into from above and to allow a radiation beam to pass through from below.
Method and System for Treating Moving Target
Granted: August 18, 2011
Application Number:
20110200170
A method and system for providing intensity modulated radiation therapy to a moving target is disclosed. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a treatment plan for providing radiotherapy using a multi-leaf collimator (“MLC”) comprises a plurality of sub-plans, each of which is optimized for a different phase of target movement. Movements of the treatment target are tracked in real time, and the choice of which sub-plan to implement is made in real time based on the…
IMAGING BREAST CANCEROUS LESIONS WITH MICROCALCIFICATIONS
Granted: July 28, 2011
Application Number:
20110182402
A radiation system includes a first radiation source and a first detector positioned opposite to each other configured to image a body portion, and a second radiation source and a second detector positioned opposite to each other configured to image a region of interest in the body portion. The first radiation source has a first spot size and the first detector has a first pixel size. The second radiation source has a second spot size and the second detector has a second pixel size. The…
Method and Apparatus to Facilitate Treating a Target Portion of a Patient's Body with Radiation
Granted: July 28, 2011
Application Number:
20110182409
One accesses information regarding the functionality of portions of the patient's body and then uses that information to optimize a radiation-treatment plan to treat a target portion of the patient's body while minimizing at least some collateral radiation-based damage to non-targeted functional portions of the patient's body. By one approach, the aforementioned information can comprise a functionality model as pertains to at least some portions of the patient's body. As one example in…
MOBILE PATIENT SUPPORT SYSTEM
Granted: June 30, 2011
Application Number:
20110154569
A patient support system includes a base having a plurality of wheels, and a patient support coupled to the base, wherein at least a part of the patient support is for supporting a head of a patient, and at least one of the wheels has a plurality of secondary wheels. A patient support system includes a patient support, a transportation mechanism for transporting the patient support, a positioner for moving the patient support relative to the transportation mechanism, and a positioning…
Homing and Establishing Reference Frames for Motion Axes in Radiation Systems
Granted: June 23, 2011
Application Number:
20110148339
A method of homing motion axes in a radiation system uses a motor and one or more hardstops. A load is driven by a motor to move toward a hardstop during which an electrical parameter of the motor is monitored. A reference position for the motion axis is defined when the monitored electrical parameter reaches or exceeds a determined value. Alternative to monitoring the motor electrical parameter, the motor velocity may be monitored during the motion and a reference position for the…
MULTI-ENERGY RADIATION DETECTOR
Granted: June 9, 2011
Application Number:
20110133094
A radiation projection detector includes a conversion layer configured to generate light photons in response to a radiation, the conversion layer having a plurality of first conversion elements and a plurality of second conversion elements, and a photo detector array aligned with the conversion panel, wherein each of the first conversion elements has a first radiation conversion characteristic, and each of the second conversion elements has a second radiation conversion characteristic. A…
Dose Calculation Method for Multiple Fields
Granted: April 21, 2011
Application Number:
20110091014
Systems and methods for developing a treatment plan for irradiating a treatment volume within a patient are disclosed. In accordance with the present invention, control points used to calculate a dose of radiation delivered to the treatment volume may be combined to result in a smaller number of control points. The smaller number of control points may allow more efficient calculation of dose distributions resulting in a treatment plan that can be delivered to the patient earlier or may…
Energy Switch Assembly for Linear Accelerators
Granted: March 31, 2011
Application Number:
20110074288
An energy switch assembly includes probe components that can undergo and survive elevated temperatures of a bake-out procedure, and drive components that have capabilities of continuous positioning a probe throughout the stroke of the probe. The drive components can be removable from the probe components and replaceable without breaking the vacuum of the accelerator guide assembly.
BEAM FILTER POSITIONING DEVICE
Granted: March 31, 2011
Application Number:
20110075815
A system includes a beam filter positioning device including a plate configured to support one or more beam filters, and one or more axes operable to move the plate relative to a beam line. A control mechanism is coupled to the one or more axes for controlling the movement of the axes and configured to automatically adjust the position of at least one of the one or more beam filters relative to the beam line.
Method and Apparatus to Facilitate Supplementing a Dose-Volume Histogram Constraint Using an Adaptive Dose-Volume Histogram Constraint
Granted: March 24, 2011
Application Number:
20110069815
One provides a first dose-volume histogram (DVH) constraint as pertains to controlling localized excessive-radiation dosage with respect to a particular treatment volume. One then automatically determines whether to supplement this constraint by using an adaptive DVH constraint. These teachings will accommodate determining whether to supplement the first DVH constraint, at least in part, by determining whether a user has specified such supplementation (using, for example, a corresponding…
