Elekta Ab (publ)

Elekta, Inc.

Elekta Ab

Per Carlsson

Ivars Alksnis

Henrik Alexis

Kristian Wiberg

Gert Hanner

Anders Nilsson

Peter Fröberg

Kevin J Brown

David Anthony Jaffray

Kjell Eldered

Thomas Arn

Gregory Bootsma

Erik Carlander

Maja Nilsson

Stefan Langemark

Thomas Rousseau

Markus Eriksson

Magnus Lindfors

Mark Ruschin

Lars Hedin

Kevin John Brown

Disclosed herein is a radiotherapy device comprising a source of therapeutic radiation and an imaging system, the imaging system comprising a source of imaging radiation and a detector. The imaging system is switchable between a first configuration and a second configuration wherein, in the first configuration, the imaging system is configured to emit a beam of imaging radiation shaped for a first imaging modality toward the detector and, in the second configuration, the imaging system is configured to emit a beam of imaging radiation shaped for a second imaging modality toward the detector. The detector is of a shape formed by at least a first and a second section, the first and second section intersecting one another, wherein the first section is positioned for receiving the beam of imaging radiation for the first imaging modality, and the second section is positioned for receiving the beam of imaging radiation for the second imaging modality.

Imaging system for a radiotherapy device

A system for moving a patient into and from a medical apparatus includes a patient support arranged outside a treatment space of a medical apparatus, a treatment table arranged inside the treatment space in the medical apparatus and a patient bed movable in a longitudinal direction from the patient support to the treatment table and back by means of activation of a transferring mechanism. The patient bed is provided with at least a first communication channel for transferring communication signals.

Communication channel

An apparatus comprises a radiotherapy delivery apparatus having a radiation source for emitting a beam of radiation and wherein the source is rotatable around an axis intersecting the beam through a range of at least x degrees, an imaging device, and a control unit controlling the source and imaging device. The apparatus further comprises a treatment planning computer receiving a first image of a patient, and parameters defining the operations of the radiotherapy delivery apparatus. Parameters include an available range of rotation for the source, x-e, where e&#x3e;0. The treatment planning computer generates a treatment plan for the patient based on the received image and parameters. The control unit determines a patient position using the imaging device, determines a rotation r of the patient around the axis relative to the first image, and compensates for the rotation by offsetting the source by a rotation, r, when r&#x3c;e.

Image guided radiotherapy with adjusted angular range of source

A system for moving a patient into and from a medical apparatus includes a patient support arranged outside a treatment space of a medical apparatus, a treatment table arranged inside the treatment space in the medical apparatus and a patient bed movable in a longitudinal direction from the patient support to the treatment table and back by activation of a transferring mechanism. The system may further include a coil arrangement including an anterior coil and a support stand, the support stand resting on the patient bed adjacent to longitudinal edges of the patient bed and being slidable along the patient bed in a longitudinal direction when a patient is placed on the bed.

Coil arrangement

Intra-fraction movement of the patient puts at risk sensitive regions that are near to a radiation dose. In a radiotherapy system that delivers a dose as a series of discrete sub-doses, an initial CT scan is performed to determine the patient's position, after which the sub-doses that are directed to regions within a preset distance of a sensitive structure are performed first, while the sub-doses directed to regions that are more remote from a sensitive structure are performed later.

Radiotherapy apparatus

A radiotherapy apparatus comprises a rotatable gantry, supporting a source of therapeutic radiation and a source of diagnostic radiation, the two sources being rotationally (or angularly) spaced apart around a rotation axis of the gantry, with at least one collimator associated with the source of therapeutic radiation and arranged to limit the cross-sectional area of a beam produced by that source, a control means arranged to conduct a treatment fraction using the apparatus by causing the apparatus to i. acquire images of a patient using the source of diagnostic radiation, ii. retain those images at least temporarily, iii. subsequently, after further rotation of the gantry, select a retained image acquired when the source of diagnostic radiation was at a rotational position corresponding to the instantaneous rotational position of the source of therapeutic radiation, and iv. control the beam relative to the patient using information derived from the selected image. The corresponding rotational position is ideally one in which the source of therapeutic radiation is at the same or substantially the same rotational position as was the source of diagnostic radiation at the point in time when the image was acquired. An alternative a radiotherapy apparatus comprises a rotatable gantry supporting a source of therapeutic radiation and a source of diagnostic radiation, at least one collimator associated with the source of therapeutic radiation and arranged to limit the cross-sectional area of a beam produced by that source, a reconstruction means arranged to i. obtain two-dimensional images of a patient using the source of diagnostic radiation, ii. retain those images at least temporarily, iii. apply a recency threshold to the retained images thereby to exclude images less recent than the threshold, iv. select at least three such retained images meeting the recency threshold and reconstruct a CT volume or tomographic image using the selected images, and a control means arranged to conduct a treatment fraction or treatment session using the apparatus, controlling the collimator using information derived from the CT volume.

Image-guided radiotherapy

A radiotherapy apparatus comprises a rotatable gantry, supporting a source of therapeutic radiation and a source of diagnostic radiation. The two sources may be rotationally spaced apart around a rotation axis of the gantry, with at least one collimator associated with the source of therapeutic radiation and arranged to limit the cross-sectional area of a beam produced by that source. A control means may be arranged to conduct a treatment fraction using the apparatus by causing the apparatus to acquire images of a patient using the source of diagnostic radiation, retain those images at least temporarily, select a retained image acquired when the source of diagnostic radiation was at a rotational position corresponding to the instantaneous rotational position of the source of therapeutic radiation, and control the beam relative to the patient using information derived from the selected image.

This invention relates to a fixation device and a method for immobilizing a head of a patient relative a treatment unit or medical device during treatment of the head. The fixation device is provided with an interface unit adapted to be fixated in relation to an adaptor unit for connection to the treatment unit, or to a frame for connection to the medical device. Furthermore, the fixation device is provided with a bite-block for being inserted into a mouth of a patient and a positioning arrangement movably connecting the bite-block to the interface unit. The positioning arrangement is adapted to be fixated by means of an adhesive for fixation of the bite-block such that the head of a patient can be immobilized relative said adaptor unit or frame.

Fixation device

According to the present invention, there is provided a clamping device for locking two elements, e.g. rotatable shafts, having a substantially circular cross-section. The clamping device comprises a central holding part having two partly curved sections being adapted to at least partly encircle and hold the elements, which curved sections are inversely curved. Further, the clamping device comprises an upper holding part having a partly curved section arranged being adapted to at least partly encircle and hold a first element and a lower holding part having a partly curved section being adapted to at least partly encircle and hold a second element. The central, upper and lower holding parts are adapted to co-operate to lock the elements when pressed together by means of a tightening element. The curved sections are inversely curved in relation to each other and form together with the substantially rectangular section a substantially S-shaped central part. The invention according to the present invention is capable of locking the two elements, e.g. two rotatable spindles or shafts, firmly and accurate, i.e. without any substantial tension or torsion, by means of a single tightening element, for example, a screw.

Single screw activated double axle locking mechanism

The present invention relates to the field of radiation therapy. In particular, the relates to a system for measuring the position of a head of a patient during neurological diagnosis, therapy or surgery, in particular during radiation therapy relatively a frame adapted to be fixated to a radiation therapy unit. The invention also relates to a head cap and a measurement tool for use in such a system, and to a method measuring the position of a head of a patient by means of a system mentioned above during neurological diagnosis, therapy or surgery, in particular during radiation therapy relatively a frame adapted to be fixated to a radiation therapy unit. The measurement tool is adapted to measure a distance between the head and the head cap via a through hole by means of an elongated element having an end being adapted to abut against the head during a measurement, wherein the measurement tool is adapted to obtain at least one measurement value indicating a position of the head in relation to the head cap substantially without operator interaction.

System for measurement of head position and measurement tool for such a system

The present invention concerns a method, a system, a measurement tool and computer readable medium for determining a predetermined position of a positioning system in a radiation therapy system comprising a radiation therapy unit relatively a fixed radiation focus point of the radiation therapy unit. The method comprises positioning () a diode element, obtaining () measurement data at each of a predetermined number of measurement points from a radiation intensity curve, determining () a three-dimensional centre coordinate of the obtained coordinates, and determining () the predetermined position of a patient positioning unit () relatively to a fixed focus point of a radiation unit () using the determined three-dimensional centre coordinate.

Method of calibrating a radiation therapy system

A highly compact, high-performance volumetric imaging system is proposed, that is integrated with a multi-source Cobalt-60 gamma irradiator for high throughput, high accuracy and minimally invasive fractioned treatments of intracranial, orbital and head-and-neck targets.

Image-guided multi-source radiotherapy

Calibration of a radiation therapy system comprising a radiation unit with a fixed focus point, a fixation unit for fixing a treatment volume in a patient, and a positioning system. The positioning system comprises a fixed framework, a movable carriage for carrying and moving the entire patient, motor(s), a control system for controlling the motor(s), and at least one engagement point for releasably mounting the fixation unit in fixed engagement with the positioning system. A fixation unit coordinate system defined in relation to the fixation unit is provided. Linearity errors for the motional axes of the carriage and the angular offset between the motional axes and the coordinate system is determined, whereby the relationships between the axes of the coordinate system and the motional axes of the positioning system are determined. The positioning system is then mounted in fixed relationship with the radiation therapy unit and the focus point in relation to the positioning system is determined, whereby the relationship between the focus point and the coordinate system is also determined.

Method at a radiation therapy system

A radiation therapy device and a method of changing the spatial dose distribution surrounding a focus are disclosed. A subset of radioactive sources in a source carrier arrangement is displaceable relatively to collimator passage inlets, while the rest of the sources are fixed relatively to said collimator passage inlets.

Radiation therapy device

A radiation therapy device and a method of changing the spatial dose distribution surrounding a focus are disclosed. At least a subset of the radioactive sources in a source carrier is linearly displaceable relatively to at least a subset of collimator passage inlets, or vice versa.

Growing community of inventors

Stockholm, Sweden

Per Carlsson