Methods and systems for image artifacts reduction
Granted: January 7, 2020
Patent Number:
10524756
One example method to reduce image artifacts, which may include obtaining measured projection data acquired using an imaging system. The measured projection data is associated with a target object and an artifact source within a radiation field of the imaging system. The method may also include generating virtual projection data associated with the artifact source by forward projecting a model representing one or more physical properties of the artifact source. The method may further…
Methods to optimize coverage for multiple targets simultaneously for radiation treatments
Granted: December 24, 2019
Patent Number:
10512791
A cost function is constructed so as to guide an optimization process to achieve similar coverage for all targets simultaneously in a concurrent radiation treatment of multiple targets, so that a single scaling factor may be used in a plan normalization to achieve the desired coverage for all the targets. The cost function includes a component that favors a solution that attains similar target coverages for all targets, as well as a component that favors a solution that approaches the…
Systems and methods for generating radiation treatment plans
Granted: December 24, 2019
Patent Number:
10512790
Target values for quality metrics associated with the radiation treatment plan are accessed. Cost function contours are generated; each of the cost function contours includes a respective first set of values of the quality metrics calculated with a respective cost function based on a respective one of the target values. A region that includes a second set of values of the quality metrics is defined; the region is bounded by the cost function contours. A final (optimized) radiation…
Patient-mounted or patient support-mounted camera for position monitoring during medical procedures
Granted: December 17, 2019
Patent Number:
10510161
An apparatus for use in a medical procedure includes: a camera configured for attachment to a patient, wherein the camera is configured to detect one or more markers outside and away from the patient; and a processing unit configured to receive an input image from the camera, and to process the input image to monitor a position of a target associated with the patient during the medical procedure. An apparatus for use in a medical procedure includes: a camera configured for attachment to…
Imaging based calibration systems, devices, and methods
Granted: December 17, 2019
Patent Number:
10507339
Systems, devices, and methods for imaging-based calibration of radiation treatment couch position compensations.
Radiation shields for LINAC head and system
Granted: December 10, 2019
Patent Number:
10500419
In a method of constructing a head shield for a radiation machine, the angular distribution of radiation propagating from a source and the angular function of thickness of a material in attenuating the radiation to a certain level of its original value are determined. Based on the angular distribution of radiation from the source and the angular function of thickness of the material, the thicknesses of the material at a plurality of angular locations around the source and distances from…
System and method for patient-specific motion management for treatment
Granted: December 10, 2019
Patent Number:
10500418
An apparatus for assisting a selection of motion management technique for use with a treatment machine having an energy source, comprises: one or more input for obtaining motion trace of a target to be treated, and/or for obtaining motion data of a fiducial; and a motion management processor configured to determine motion management data based at least in part on at least a portion of the motion trace of the target and/or at least a portion of the motion data of the fiducial, wherein the…
Compensating for leakage radiation in MLC modulated treatment
Granted: December 10, 2019
Patent Number:
10500417
A treatment planning method and system for determining a treatment plan used to irradiate a treatment volume using a radiation treatment system that includes a multi-leaf collimator (MLC), is disclosed. The treatment plan includes settings for leaf patterns of individual leaves of the MLC, each leaf pattern including a geometry of the individual leaves and forming an aperture for use in the treatment plan. Areas of radiation leakage are identified in each of the leaf patterns, the areas…
Camera systems and methods for use in one or more areas in a medical facility
Granted: December 3, 2019
Patent Number:
10493298
A method of monitoring an object during a medical process includes: using one or more cameras to obtain information regarding an actual three dimensional configuration of an object involved in a medical process; obtaining a three-dimensional model of the object representing a geometry of the object; obtaining a movement model of the object; and processing the information, the three-dimensional model, and the movement model to monitor the object during the medical process, wherein the act…
Proton therapy beam-sharing panel display and controls
Granted: December 3, 2019
Patent Number:
10493300
Systems and methods are described herein to provide a user-interface to visualize and control a beam request panel for requesting allocation of usage of a shared therapy beam. The user interface allows a user to visualize a beam request queue, to request the shared therapy beam for treatment, to estimate when a beam request will be fulfilled, and to cancel a beam request if needed.
Image comparison tool tolerant to deformable image matching
Granted: November 26, 2019
Patent Number:
10489678
An apparatus and method for determining an image similarity based on image features. In one aspect, the image similarity determination is based on an image comparison tool. The image comparison tool may be trained, by a machine-learning system, to estimate a similarity between images based on a subset of image data comprised by image features. The estimate may be an estimate of how similar structures found in the images would be following a geometric transformation of some of the…
Method and apparatus pertaining to automated multi-step radiation-treatment plan development
Granted: November 26, 2019
Patent Number:
10489556
A control circuit facilitates providing a user interface to facilitate developing a radiation-treatment plan for a given patient, the user interface comprising, at least in part, an opportunity to select an automated multi-step radiation-treatment plan development capability. Upon detecting a user's selection of this automated multi-step radiation-treatment plan development capability, these teachings then provide for automatically carrying out a plurality of steps wherein at least some…
Compact lightweight high-performance proton therapy beamline
Granted: November 26, 2019
Patent Number:
10485995
A compact lightweight gantry for a proton therapy system that has a source-to-axis distance (SAD) of less than 2 m and can deliver a proton beam of superior quality. The reduced SAD leads to reduced requirements on the maximum magnetic fields that can be generated by the bend magnets in the gantry beamline. Correspondingly, lightweight bend magnets can be used. The various components in the gantry beamline are optimized to achieve a beam spot size of approximately 4 mm sigma or less…
Interactive dose manipulation using prioritized constraints
Granted: November 26, 2019
Patent Number:
10485988
In a method of interactive manipulation of the dose distribution of a radiation treatment plan, after an initial candidate treatment plan has been obtained, a set of clinical goals are transferred into a set of constraints. Each constraint may be expressed in terms of a threshold value for a respective quality index of the dose distribution. The dose distribution can then be modified interactively by modifying the threshold values for the set of constraints. Re-optimization may be…
Dosimetric end-to-end verification devices, systems, and methods
Granted: November 5, 2019
Patent Number:
10463885
Dosimetrical end-to-end quality assurance devices, systems, and methods for radiation devices using X-ray imaging, optical surface imaging, and electromagnetic navigational systems to position the quality assurance device either absolute or relative in space.
Method and device for efficiently irradiating a target from multiple irradiation angles in a particle therapy system
Granted: October 22, 2019
Patent Number:
10449394
A control system is described which provides a user interface that displays a clear graphical representation of relevant data for a particle radiation therapy system (such as a pencil-beam proton therapy system) for treating multiple beam fields as efficiently as possible. The user interface allows a user to visualize a treatment session, select one or multiple beam fields to include in one or more beam applications, and dissociate beam fields previously grouped if necessary. Further…
Radiation systems with minimal or no shielding requirement on building
Granted: October 22, 2019
Patent Number:
10449393
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…
Dynamic target masker in radiation treatment of multiple targets
Granted: October 22, 2019
Patent Number:
10449389
A method for determining MLC leaf sequences for radiation treatment includes obtaining BEV projections of a first target volume and a second target volume along one or more treatment paths of a radiation treatment plan, analyzing the BEV projections to determine one or more contiguous ranges of spatial points where there exists an interstitial region between the first target volume and the second target volume in the direction of MLC leaf motion, and determining a first set of MLC leaf…
Method for optimizing a brachytherapy radiation treatment plan
Granted: October 22, 2019
Patent Number:
10449386
A control circuit optimizes a brachytherapy radiation treatment plan for a patient target volume by defining a radiation-control structure that conformally surrounds the patient target volume and then automatically removes part, but not all, of the radiation-control structure to control consideration of radiation sources that are not disposed within the patient target volume. By one approach the control circuit selectively removes parts of the radiation-control structure as a function of…
Method and apparatus to employ a multi-layer multi-leaf collimator when administering a radiation therapy treatment
Granted: October 15, 2019
Patent Number:
10441814
A control circuit administers a radiation treatment plan that specifies a planned total radiation dose for a radiation treatment session for a given patient by modulating a radiation beam with at least one high-resolution aperture that is formed using one of a plurality of linearly-sequential high-resolution aperture possibilities. By one approach the foregoing comprises modulating the radiation beam using at least substantially only high-resolution apertures that are formed using a…
