Varian Medical Systems Patent Grants

Multileaf collimator cone enabling stereotactic radiosurgery

Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11951330
An apparatus includes a first multileaf collimator comprising a plurality of pairs of beam-blocking leaves each comprising an end portion. The end portions of beam-blocking leaves of two adjacent pairs are configured to collectively form an aperture when the two adjacent pairs of beam-blocking leaves are closed. The aperture may be sized and shaped to allow a radiation beam to pass through for radiosurgery.

Asymmetric dual-mode ionization systems and methods

Granted: April 2, 2024
Patent Number: 11944845
An asymmetric dual-mode ionization chamber measurement system can include a first high-voltage plate, a second high-voltage plate and a readout plate. The first high-voltage plate can be disposed from the readout plate by a first active volume. The second high-voltage plate can be disposed from the readout plate by a second active volume. A high-voltage potential can be coupled to the first high-voltage plate during a first mode, and to the second high-voltage plate during a second mode.…

Time optimized radiation treatment

Granted: March 26, 2024
Patent Number: 11938342
In one embodiment, a method includes receiving treatment information relating to a treatment plan for proton- or ion-beam therapy intended to irradiate a target tissue; receiving machine-limitation information relating to one or more limitations of one or more machines involved in the proton- or ion-beam therapy; determining a time-optimized beam current for a proton or ion beam based on the treatment information and the machine-limitation information, wherein the time-optimized beam…

Method and apparatus that includes generating a clinical target volume for therapeutic radiation

Granted: March 19, 2024
Patent Number: 11931598
Image information regarding a particular patient is provided, which image information includes, at least in part, a tumor to be irradiated. These teachings can also include providing non-image clinical information that corresponds to the particular patient. A control circuit accesses the foregoing image information and non-image clinical information and automatically generates a clinical target volume that is larger than the tumor as a function of both the image information and the…

Radiotherapy methods, systems, and workflow-oriented graphical user interfaces

Granted: March 12, 2024
Patent Number: 11925817
Disclosed herein are radiotherapy systems and methods that can display a workflow-oriented graphical user interface(s). In an embodiment, a system comprises a first display in communication with a server, the first display configured to display a first graphical user interface; a second display in communication with the server, the second display configured to display a second graphical user interface, wherein the server is configured to: present the first graphical user interface for…

Radiation therapy system using a digital tomosynthesis process for near real-time localization

Granted: February 13, 2024
Patent Number: 11896851
A method of radiation therapy comprises, while a gantry of a radiation therapy system rotates continuously in a first direction through a treatment arc from a first treatment delivery position to a second treatment delivery position, causing an imaging X-ray source mounted on the gantry to direct X-rays through a target volume and receiving a set of X-ray projection images from an X-ray imager mounted on the gantry; determining a current location of the target volume based on the set of…

Radiation therapy system using a digital tomosynthesis process for near real-time localization

Granted: February 13, 2024
Patent Number: 11896851
A method of radiation therapy comprises, while a gantry of a radiation therapy system rotates continuously in a first direction through a treatment arc from a first treatment delivery position to a second treatment delivery position, causing an imaging X-ray source mounted on the gantry to direct X-rays through a target volume and receiving a set of X-ray projection images from an X-ray imager mounted on the gantry; determining a current location of the target volume based on the set of…

Systems and methods for energy modulated radiation therapy

Granted: February 6, 2024
Patent Number: 11894161
A method performed by a medical device, includes: providing a permanent magnetic field by a permanent magnet; operating an electromagnet to provide a first electromagnetic field with a first electromagnetic field value; and operating the electromagnet to provide a second electromagnetic field with a second electromagnetic field value; wherein the first electromagnetic field and the permanent magnetic field forms a first total magnetic field with a first total magnetic field value, and…

Cryosurgical probe with adjustable sliding apparatus

Granted: January 23, 2024
Patent Number: 11877781
A cryosurgical probe assembly including a cryosurgical probe having a shaft, an insulation element housed within the cryosurgical probe and being slideably repositionable relative to the shaft, and a fluid supply line having an inlet portion for connection to a cryogenic fluid source.

Projection mapping of radiation suites

Granted: January 16, 2024
Patent Number: 11872067
A radiation suite includes a room having a floor, a ceiling, and one or more walls, a radiation system including a gantry enclosing a radiation source and a couch, and an image projection system operable to project an image on a projection surface on at least a portion of the gantry and/or the couch, providing a calming environment for a patient to relax. The image projection system comprises a computer and one or more projectors operably controlled by the computer. The computer…

Treating a treatment volume with therapeutic radiation using a multi-leaf collimation system

Granted: January 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11869680
A control circuit optimizes a radiation treatment plan for a patient treatment volume using an automatically iterating optimization process that optimizes as a function, at least in part, of predetermined cost functions, wherein at least one of the cost functions favors apertures for the multi-leaf collimation system having local curvature that deviates only minimally from a reference curvature. By one approach the control circuit determines the reference curvature as a function, at…

Flash therapy treatment planning and oncology information system having dose rate prescription and dose rate mapping

Granted: January 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11865364
A computing system comprising a central processing unit (CPU), and memory coupled to the CPU and having stored therein instructions that, when executed by the computing system, cause the computing system to execute operations to generate a radiation treatment plan. The operations include accessing a minimum prescribed dose to be delivered into and across the target, determining a number of beams and directions of the beams, and determining a beam energy for each of the beams, wherein the…

System and method for scanning pattern optimization for flash therapy treatment planning

Granted: January 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11865361
Embodiments of the present invention provide methods and systems for proton therapy planning that maximize the dose rate for different target sizes for FLASH therapy treatment are disclosed herein according to embodiments of the present invention. According to embodiments, non-standard scanning patterns can be generated, for example, using a TPS optimizer, to maximize dose rate and the overall FLASH effect for specific volumes at risk. The novel scanning patterns can include scanning…

Increased beam output and dynamic field shaping for radiotherapy system

Granted: January 2, 2024
Patent Number: 11857805
Systems and methods provide a radiotherapy treatment by focusing an electron beam on an x-ray target (e.g., a tungsten plate) to produce a high-yield x-ray output with improved field shaping. A modified electron beam spatial distribution is employed to scan the x-ray target, such as a 2D periodic beam path, which advantageously lowers the temperature of the x-ray target compared to typical compact beam spatial distribution. As a result, the x-ray target can produce a high yield x-ray…

Radiation anode target systems and methods

Granted: December 26, 2023
Patent Number: 11854761
Presented systems and methods facilitate efficient and effective generation and delivery of radiation. A radiation generation system can comprise: a particle beam gun, a high energy dissipation anode target (HEDAT); and a liquid anode control component. In some embodiments, the particle beam gun generates an electron beam. The HEDAT includes a solid anode portion (HEDAT-SAP) and a liquid anode portion (HEDAT-LAP) that are configured to receive the electron beam, absorb energy from the…

NIR image-guided targeting

Granted: December 26, 2023
Patent Number: 11850022
A method includes determining skin characteristics in a region of a patient. An in-treatment optical scan is performed on a region of a patient, wherein the in-treatment optical scan comprises a near infrared (NIR) energy source. A plurality of detected signals is detected from the optical scan. The skin characteristics are filtered out from the plurality of detected signals. Skeletal anatomy positioning associated with the region is determined from the plurality of signals that is…

Cryogenic system and methods

Granted: December 26, 2023
Patent Number: 11849989
Embodiments of the present invention relate to cryogenic systems and methods useful to cool objects, including living tissue, to freezing or cryogenic temperatures by placing the object in thermal communication with sub-cooled supercritical nitrogen.

Radiotherapy methods, systems, and workflow-oriented graphical user interfaces

Granted: December 19, 2023
Patent Number: 11844962
Disclosed herein are radiotherapy methods and systems that can display a workflow-oriented graphical user interface(s). In an embodiment, a method comprises presenting, by a server, a first page of a first graphical user interface on the radiotherapy console associated with a radiotherapy machine in a treatment room, wherein the first graphical user interface contains a plurality of pages, each page corresponding to a stage of treatment implemented by the radiotherapy machine, and the…

Blood-tissue surface based radiosurgical renal treatment planning

Granted: December 19, 2023
Patent Number: 11844959
Devices, systems, and methods for planning radiosurgical treatments for neuromodulating a portion of the renovascular system may be used to plan radiosurgical neuromodulation treatments for conditions or disease associated with elevated central sympathetic drive. The renal nerves may be located and targeted at the level of the ganglion and/or at postganglionic positions, as well as preganglionic positions. Target regions include the renal plexus, celiac ganglion, the superior mesenteric…

Systems and methods for real-time target validation for image-guided radiation therapy

Granted: November 21, 2023
Patent Number: 11819308
Systems and methods for real-time target validation during radiation treatment therapy based on real-time target displacement and radiation dosimetry measurements.