Triggered treatment systems and methods
Granted: January 22, 2019
Patent Number:
10183179
In various embodiments, a radiation therapy method can include loading a planning image of a target in a human. In addition, the position of the target can be monitored. A computation can be made of an occurrence of substantial alignment between the position of the target and the target of the planning image. Furthermore, after the computing, a beam of radiation is triggered to deliver a dosage to the target in a short period of time (e.g., less than a second).
Apparatus and methods for using an electromagnetic transponder in orthopedic procedures
Granted: January 22, 2019
Patent Number:
10182868
Electromagnetic transponders as markers are used to localize and guide orthopedic procedures including: knee replacement, hip replacement, shoulder replacement, damaged bone reconstruction, and spine surgery, and more particularly, to guide orthopedic surgical navigation and alignment techniques and instruments. For example, the marker could further be used in any number of guides or templates that attach to the bony anatomy; such as a surgical guide, cutting guide, cutting jig,…
Methods and systems for improving image quality of projection image data acquired using flat panel detectors
Granted: January 8, 2019
Patent Number:
10176601
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…
Radiation treatment planning and delivery using collision free regions
Granted: January 1, 2019
Patent Number:
10166406
Collision free regions are predetermined for one or more class solutions. Each class solution has defined limits for allowed field geometry variations. Collision free regions in planning can be defined as a set of allowed isocenter positions relative to a fixation device. The collision free regions may be visualized by a user to plan for field geometry and isocenter position tradeoffs. Collision free regions in delivery can be defined as a set of allowed couch support coordinates. The…
Dose-distribution estimation in proton therapy
Granted: December 25, 2018
Patent Number:
10159853
A system for estimating a dose from a proton therapy plan includes a memory that stores machine instructions and a processor coupled to the memory that executes the machine instructions to subdivide a representation of a volume of interest in a patient anatomy traversed by a planned proton field into a plurality of voxels. The processor further executes the machine instructions to determine the distance from the source of the planned proton beam to one of the voxels. The processor also…
Systems and methods for automatic training of dose prediction models and treatment plans as a cloud service
Granted: December 25, 2018
Patent Number:
10159851
The present invention proposes a method for automatically training a dose prediction model based on existing clinical knowledge that is accumulated from multiple sources without collaborators establishing communication links between each other. According to embodiments of the claimed subject matter, clinics can collaborate in creating a dose prediction model by submitting their treatment plans into a remote computer system (such as a cloud-based system) which aggregates information from…
Method and system for interactive control of window/level parameters of multi-image displays
Granted: December 11, 2018
Patent Number:
10152951
A method, system, and article of manufacture are described for interactive control of multiple images with a high dynamic range that are displayed simultaneously. A medical image control engine provides several synchronous functional capabilities, which comprises an input module, a blending factor synchronization module, a window/level synchronization module, a display module, and an image storage. For window/level adjustment of two images in blended views, the blending factor…
Detection of damage to X-ray targets in electron accelerators for radiotherapy
Granted: December 11, 2018
Patent Number:
10149988
An x-ray apparatus includes a source configured to generate electrons, a target configured to produce x-rays upon impingement of electrons, and a detector configured to detect electrons penetrating the target or reflected from the incident face of the target, indicative of damage to the target.
Methods for fabricating pixelated scintillator arrays
Granted: December 4, 2018
Patent Number:
10145966
A method of making pixelated scintillator arrays employs a first jig comprising a plurality of recesses and a second jig comprising a plurality of recesses. A plurality of or N scintillator pixels are placed in a plurality of or N recesses of the first jig. The N scintillator pixels have a shape such that a portion of each of the N scintillator pixels is conformably received in one of the N recesses of the first jig, e.g. a portion of each of the N scintillator pixels is received in and…
Method and apparatus pertaining to radiation treatment plan optimization states
Granted: December 4, 2018
Patent Number:
10146393
A control circuit stores a plurality of radiation treatment plan states as pertain to optimization of a given radiation treatment plan. The control circuit detects a user's selection of a particular one of the plurality of radiation treatment plan states and responsively displays dose distribution information as corresponds to that selected state. The control circuit can automatically store at least some of those states and/or can provide the user with an opportunity to selectively save…
Controlling and shaping the dose distribution outside treatment targets in external-beam radiation treatments
Granted: December 4, 2018
Patent Number:
10143859
Streamlined and partially automated methods of setting normal tissue objectives in radiation treatment planning are provided. These methods may be applied to multiple-target cases as well as single-target cases. The methods can impose one or more target-specific dose falloff constraints around each target, taking into account geometric characteristics of each target such as target volume and shape. In some embodiments, methods can also take into account a planner's preferences for target…
Method and apparatus pertaining to treating a patient using heavy particles
Granted: December 4, 2018
Patent Number:
10143856
A heavy-particle treatment system exposes a patient's treatment volume, during the course of a single treatment session, to beams of heavy particles from a variety of different angles. The source of heavy particles may rotate about the patient to facilitate that variety of different angles. The foregoing can occur pursuant to a treatment plan that accounts for a penetration range as corresponds to the beams of heavy particles and for using at least one lateral beam controlling device to…
Shielding structures for linear accelerators
Granted: November 27, 2018
Patent Number:
10143076
An apparatus includes an accelerator guide and a shielding structure enclosing the accelerator guide. The accelerator guide includes an electron source at a first end, a target at a second end, and a plurality of accelerating cavities coupled in series along a longitudinal axis between the first end and the second end. The accelerator guide has a contour as viewed in the longitudinal axis. The shielding structure has an inner wall surface defining a contour as viewed in the longitudinal…
Systems, devices, and methods for quality assurance of radiation therapy
Granted: October 30, 2018
Patent Number:
10112059
Systems, devices, and methods for quality assurance for verification of radiation dose delivery in arc-based radiation therapy devices using a 3D gamma evaluation method.
Automatic organ-dose-estimation for patient-specific computed tomography scans
Granted: October 16, 2018
Patent Number:
10098606
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…
Methods and systems for three-dimensional visualization of deviation of volumetric structures with colored surface structures
Granted: October 9, 2018
Patent Number:
10096151
Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to methods and computer systems for converting datasets into three-dimensional (“3D”) mesh surface visualization, displaying the mesh surface on a computer display, comparing two three-dimensional mesh surface structures by blending two primary different primary colors to create a secondary color, and computing the distance between two three-dimensional mesh surface structures converted from two closely-matched datasets. For…
Dose aspects of radiation therapy planning and treatment
Granted: October 9, 2018
Patent Number:
10092774
Radiation treatment planning includes accessing values of parameters such as a number of beams to be directed into sub-volumes in a target, beam directions, and beam energies. Information that specifies limits for the radiation treatment plan are accessed. The limits include a limit on irradiation time for each sub-volume outside the target. Other limits can include a limit on irradiation time for each sub-volume in the target, a limit on dose rate for each sub-volume in the target, and…
Prospective evaluation of tumor visibility for IGRT using templates generated from planning CT and contours
Granted: October 9, 2018
Patent Number:
10092251
The plan CT is described to generate dual energy (DRR) that stimulates the treatment time radiographs in order to prospectively evaluate the angles in which issues for the template matching algorithm are present, and thus the visibility of the tumor. The present invention uses template matching to quantify the “trackability” of the target from different angles or directions. The peak-to-side lobe ratio is used to measure trackability. The results of this process influence treatment…
Method and apparatus pertaining to treatment plans for dynamic radiation-treatment platforms
Granted: October 2, 2018
Patent Number:
10086215
A control circuit accesses patient information and treatment-platform information and uses that information to automatically suggest a treatment plan having at least one of a given number of treatment-pathway traversals wherein the given number is permitted to be greater than one and sub-treatment-pathway traversal-based physical alterations to at least one of the dynamic elements of the dynamic radiation-treatment platform. By one approach the aforementioned patient information can…
Printing of objects for medical use
Granted: October 2, 2018
Patent Number:
10088833
An artifact for radiation therapy is produced by accessing image data comprising images including a target volume inside a patient. A design for the artifact is generated based on the image data. The design is customized to a radiation therapy treatment plan for the patient. A printing plan is generated based on the design. A three-dimensional printer is controlled using the printing plan to build an object that corresponds to the design.
