Method and apparatus for controlling a radiation treatment field
US5438991A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 18, 1993 |
| Grant date | Aug 8, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 18, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61N2005/1056
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method and system for simulating and verifying a radiation therapy beam prior to treatment. The system also permits the accurate positioning of the beam with respect to the patient. The system utilizes a contour on a prescription image which defines the location and shape of a desired radiation treatment area to generate a transmissive projection which projects the exact field contour onto the patient during simulation. The patient can then be marked with this field contour prior to treatment in the simulation apparatus. With the patient placed in the treatment apparatus the accurate positioning of the patient can be achieved by aligning the patient's skin markings with a light projected through a multi-leaf collimator onto the skin. Furthermore, the correct functioning of the multi-leaf collimator can be verified in this manner since incorrect leaf positions will show up in the light projected onto the patient's skin. The transmissive projection means may comprise, in the preferred embodiment, a liquid crystal display projection device under control of a host computer storing a digitized image of the field contour.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.