Method for operating an ion beam therapy system by monitoring the distribution of the radiation dose

US6736831B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung mbH · DE

Inventors

• Gunther Hartmann · Munich, DE
• Peter Heeg · Darmstadt, DE
• Oliver Jaekel · Darmstadt, DE
• Christian Karger · Darmstadt, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 14, 2001
• Grant date: May 18, 2004
• Expiry date: Nov 14, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61N2005/1087
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method for operation of an ion beam therapy system that comprises a grid scanner device, arranged in a beam guidance system (6, 8), having vertical deflection means (13) and horizontal deflection means (14) for the vertical and horizontal deflection of a treatment beam (11) perpendicular to its beam direction, with the result that the treatment beam (11) is deflected by the grid scanner device to an isocentre (10) of the irradiation site and scans a specific area surrounding the isocentre (10) using a specific radiation dose. Both the depth dose distribution and the transverse dose distribution of the grid scanner device (13, 14) at various positions in the region of the isocentre (10) are measured and evaluated, it being concluded that the radiation dose distribution is adequately homogeneous if the degree of variation in the radiation dose values measured at the individual positions does not exceed a specific tolerance limit value.