IMMUNE MODULATORS IN COMBINATION WITH RADIATION TREATMENT
Granted: December 21, 2017
Application Number:
20170360932
Methods for treating tumors by administering ionizing radiation and an immune modulator to a patient with cancer are disclosed. The methods provide the dual benefits of anti-tumor efficacy plus normal tissue protection when combining immune modulators with ionizing radiation to treat cancer patients. The methods described herein also allow for the classification of patients into groups for receiving optimized radiation treatment in combination with an immune modulator based on…
BEAM POSITION MONITORS FOR MEDICAL RADIATION MACHINES
Granted: October 19, 2017
Application Number:
20170296844
An apparatus includes: a structure having a lumen for accommodating a beam, wherein the structure is a component of a medical radiation machine having a target for interaction with the beam to generate radiation; and a first beam position monitor comprising a first electrode and a second electrode, the first electrode being mounted to a first side of the structure, the second electrode being mounted to a second side of the structure, the second side being opposite from the first side;…
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETECTING AND/OR MEASURING MOTION AND POSITION ASSOCIATED WITH A PATIENT
Granted: October 5, 2017
Application Number:
20170281976
An apparatus for patient position or motion monitoring includes: an energy source configured to emit energy from a first location to a second location, or vice versa, wherein the second location that is moveable relative to the first location in response to a movement by a patient; and a processing unit coupled to receive an input that is based on the emitted energy, and to determine a characteristic associated with the patient based on the input.
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR IMPROVING IMAGE QUALITY OF PROJECTION IMAGE DATA ACQUIRED USING FLAT PANEL DETECTORS
Granted: September 28, 2017
Application Number:
20170278277
One example method to improve image quality of projection image data may include obtaining projection image data and channel offset data associated with the projection image data. The channel offset data may be acquired using the flat panel detector and include at least one set of channel offset data values associated with respective channels of the flat panel detector. The method may also include generating channel offset drift data representing one or more variations of the channel…
MEDICAL SYSTEMS WITH PATIENT SUPPORTS
Granted: September 14, 2017
Application Number:
20170258414
A radiation system includes a first ring, a radiation source capable of providing radiation suitable for treating a patient, the radiation source secured to the first ring, a second ring located behind the first ring, and an imager secured to the second ring. A radiation system includes a first device having a radiation source capable of generating a radiation beam suitable for treating a patient, and a second device having imaging capability, wherein the first device is oriented at an…
5D CONE BEAM CT USING DEFORMABLE REGISTRATION
Granted: August 31, 2017
Application Number:
20170249740
An apparatus includes: an input configured to receive a plurality of images, wherein the images include respective sub-images of a bodily part of a subject, and wherein a position of the bodily part relates to a breathing movement and a cardiac movement of the subject; a first registration engine configured to determine a first registration of at least two breathing correlated images, wherein the at least two breathing correlated images comprise two of the plurality of images or are…
AUTOMATIC ORGAN-DOSE-ESTIMATION FOR PATIENT-SPECIFIC COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY SCANS
Granted: August 31, 2017
Application Number:
20170245825
In accordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure, a process for calculating patient-specific organ dose is presented. The process may include constructing a computed tomography (CT) volume based on CT images generated by a CT scanner. The process may include segmenting the CT volume into a plurality of organ regions, generating a material density map for the CT volume based on Hounsfield Unit (HU) values, and generating a dose distribution map for the CT volume…
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COLLISION AVOIDANCE IN MEDICAL SYSTEMS
Granted: August 3, 2017
Application Number:
20170220709
A method of detecting a possible collision in a medical procedure that involves a medical system, includes: obtaining an image of a patient that is supported on a patient support; determining a first model using a processing unit based at least in part on the image, at least a part of the first model representing a surface of the patient; determining a second model using the processing unit, the second model representing a first component of the medical system; virtually moving the first…
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR EVALUATING MOTION TRACKING FOR RADIATION THERAPY
Granted: July 13, 2017
Application Number:
20170200276
An apparatus includes: a processor configured for obtaining a first image that corresponds with a first multi-leaf collimator (MLC) configuration, wherein the first image is generated when the MLC is stationary, obtaining a second image that corresponds with a second MLC configuration, wherein the second image is generated when the MLC and/or another component of a radiation machine is being operated to track a motion, and performing an analysis based at least in part on the first image…
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETECTING CAMERA DEFECT CAUSED BY EXPOSURE TO RADIATION
Granted: April 6, 2017
Application Number:
20170098308
A method of detecting camera defect includes: obtaining an image by a processing unit, the processing unit having a surface fit module, a subtraction module, and a peak quantification module; determining a first autocorrelation map for a first sub-region in the image; determining, using the surface fit module, a first surface fit for first scene content in the first sub-region; subtracting, using the subtraction module, the first surface fit from the first autocorrelation map for the…
HIGH DQE IMAGING DEVICE
Granted: April 6, 2017
Application Number:
20170097425
An imaging device includes: a scintillator layer; and an array of photodiode elements; wherein the scintillator layer is configured to receive radiation that has passed through the array of photodiode elements. An imaging device includes: a scintillator layer having a plurality of scintillator elements configured to convert radiation into photons; and an array of photodiode elements configured to receive photons from the scintillator layer, and generate electrical signals in response to…
APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PRECISE APPLICATION OF LUBRICANT ON COLLIMATOR COMPONENTS
Granted: April 6, 2017
Application Number:
20170096612
A method of applying a lubricant onto a carriage box of a collimator includes: providing a mixture having a lubricant and a solvent; applying an amount of the mixture that includes a predetermined quantity of the lubricant onto a first set of guide rails at a first side of the carriage box; and removing the solvent from the mixture to leave the lubricant adhering to the surface. A kit for lubricating a collimator includes: a container housing a lubricating mixture having a lubricant…
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR QUANTIFYING RADIATION BEAM CONFORMITY
Granted: April 6, 2017
Application Number:
20170095678
A method for quantifying radiation beam conformity includes: obtaining first information regarding a prescribed aperture; obtaining second information regarding an actual aperture defined by components of a collimator; and determining, using a processing unit, a metric based on the first information regarding the prescribed aperture and the second information regarding the actual aperture, wherein the metric indicates an amount of over-exposed aperture area, an amount of under-exposed…
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TREATING A SKIN CONDITION USING RADIATION
Granted: April 6, 2017
Application Number:
20170095677
A medical device for treating a skin of a patient includes: a radiation source configured to provide radiation; a collimator coupled to the radiation source; and an optical device for viewing a target area on the skin when a distal end of the medical device is covering the skin. A method of treating a skin of a patient includes: providing a treatment device having a distal end, a radiation source, and a collimator, wherein the distal end is configured for placement over the skin of the…
PATIENT SETUP USING RESPIRATORY GATED AND TIME RESOLVED IMAGE DATA
Granted: April 6, 2017
Application Number:
20170095197
A method for patient setup includes: obtaining a first two-dimensional movie having a first plurality of image frames; obtaining a first plurality of two-dimensional images; and displaying the first plurality of two-dimensional images together with the image frames from the first two-dimensional movie in an overlay configuration and in a synchronized manner, wherein the act of displaying is performed during a patient setup procedure. A method for patient setup includes: obtaining a…
SHAPE SIMILARITY MEASURE FOR BODY TISSUE
Granted: March 23, 2017
Application Number:
20170084030
A shape similarity metric can be provided that indicates how similar two or more shapes are. A difference between a union of the shapes and an intersection of the shapes can be used to determine the similarity metric. The shape similarity metric can provide an average distance between the shapes. Different processes for determining shapes can be evaluated for accuracy based on the shape similarity metric. New or alternative shape-determining processes can be compared for accuracy against…
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PATIENT POSITION MONITORING
Granted: January 19, 2017
Application Number:
20170014648
A method of monitoring a patient includes: obtaining an input image having a plurality of regions of interest by a processing unit; and determining a plurality of positions for the respective plurality of regions of interest by the processing unit; wherein the act of determining the plurality of positions comprises: accessing a plurality of templates; comparing the plurality of templates with respective areas in the input image using a comparator in the processing unit; and determining…
PIXEL CIRCUIT WITH CONSTANT VOLTAGE BIASED PHOTODIODE AND RELATED IMAGING METHOD
Granted: December 8, 2016
Application Number:
20160360133
An imaging system includes a plurality of pixel circuits each having a photodiode, a biasing circuit and a charge-to-voltage converter. The photodiode is configured to generate charges in response to light or radiation. The biasing circuit is configured to provide a constant bias voltage across the photodiode so as to drain the charges generated by the photodiode. The charge-to-voltage converter is configured to accumulate the charges drained by the biasing circuit and convert the…
IRRADIATION DEVICE AND METHOD
Granted: September 29, 2016
Application Number:
20160279447
Irradiation device for irradiating an irradiation object with heavy charged particles, comprising a support for the irradiation object, and an irradiation nozzle irradiating a charged particle beam towards the irradiation object, wherein the beam is deflected within the irradiation nozzle. The support for the irradiation object is moveable at least horizontally, and the irradiation nozzle is moveable at least vertically and rotatable around a nozzle swivel axis along which the particle…
RADIATION SYSTEMS WITH MINIMAL OR NO SHIELDING REQUIREMENT ON BUILDING
Granted: August 4, 2016
Application Number:
20160220848
A radiation system includes a support, a capsule rotatably coupled to the support, a radiation source movably coupled to the capsule, wherein the radiation source is configured to provide a treatment radiation beam, and is capable of being turned on or off in response to a control signal, and a collimator located next to the radiation source, wherein the capsule defines a space for accommodating a portion of a patient, and includes a shielding material for attenuating radiation resulted…
