THERAPEUTIC APPARATUS, COMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR CONTROLLING THE FOCUS OF RADIATION INTO A MOVING TARGET ZONE

• US 20130211482A1
• Filed: 10/25/2011
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Piipponen, Kari Vaino, Tapio
• Application Number:
  US13/881,027
• Publication Number:
  US 20130211482A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/100
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/064 for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/374 NMR or MRI
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3762 using computed tomography systems [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/378 using ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1135 by monitoring thoracic expansion
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1055 using magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1058 using ultrasound imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1061 using an x-ray imaging system having a separate imaging source
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0086 Beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/01 Devices for producing movement of radiation source during therapy A61N5/1077 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1037 taking into account the movement of the target, e.g. 4D-image based planning
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1049 for verifying the position of the patient with respect to the radiation beam
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1067 in real time, i.e. during treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/02 Localised ultrasound hyperthermia hyperthermia in general A61F7/00

Abstract

A therapeutic apparatus (300, 400, 500, 600) comprising: a therapeutic system (302, 402) for treating a target zone (304) of a subject (306), wherein the therapeutic system has an adjustable focus for directing radiation (410) into the target zone; a respiration sensor (308, 310, 416, 424) for measuring a respiratory phase of the subject; a processor (322) for controlling the therapeutic apparatus; and a memory (326, 328) containing machine executable instructions (340, 342, 344, 346, 348, 350, 352) for execution by the processor, wherein execution of the instructions causes the processor to: send (100, 206) control signals to the therapeutic system that cause treatment of the target zone, receive (102, 208) time-dependant-respiratory-phase-data (330) from the respiration sensor, generate (104, 210) focus-adjustment-control-signals in accordance with the time-dependant-respiratory-phase-data, and send (106, 212) the focus-adjustment-control-signals to the therapeutic system.

Claims

1. A therapeutic apparatus comprising:

a therapeutic system for treating a target zone of a subject, wherein the therapeutic system has an adjustable focus for directing radiation into the target zone;

a respiration sensor for measuring a respiratory phase of the subject;

a processor for controlling the therapeutic apparatus; and

a memory containing machine executable instructions for execution by the processor, wherein execution of the instructions causes the processor to;

send control signals to the therapeutic system that cause treatment of the target zone,

receive time-dependent-respiratory-phase-data from the respiration sensor,

generate focus-adjustment-control-signals in accordance with the time-dependent-respiratory-phase-data, and

send the focus-adjustment-control-signals to the therapeutic system.

2. The therapeutic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory further contains a targeting model, wherein the targeting model is descriptive of a location of the target zone as a function of the time-dependent-respiratory-phase-data, and wherein the focus-adjustment control signals are generated in accordance with the time-dependent-respiratory-phase-data and the targeting model.

3. The therapeutic apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a medical imaging system structured and configured for acquiring time-dependent-medical-image-data of a medical imaging zone, wherein execution of the instructions further causes the processor to:

receive the time-dependent-medical-image-data from the medical imaging system;

receive preliminary-time-dependent-respiratory-phase-data from the respiratory sensor, wherein the time-dependent-medical-image-data and the preliminary-time-dependent respiratory-phase-data are time correlated; and

generate targeting model in accordance with the time-dependent-medical-image-data and the preliminary-time-dependent-respiratory-phase-data.

4. The therapeutic apparatus of claim 3, wherein execution of the instructions cause the processor to generate the target model by:

registering time dependent locations of the target zone in the time-dependent-medical-image-data, and

mapping a vector onto the registered time dependent locations of the target zone as a function of the preliminary-time-dependent-respiratory-phase-data.

5. The therapeutic apparatus of claim 3, wherein execution of the instructions further cause the processor to:

compute a correlation between the preliminary-time-dependent-respiratory-phase-data and the time-dependent-respiratory-phase-data; and

send stop control signals to the therapeutic system that cause the treatment of the target zone to stop if the computed correlation is below a predetermined correlation threshold.

6. The therapeutic apparatus of claim 3, wherein the medical imaging system comprises at least one of the following:

a magnetic resonance imaging system, an ultrasound imaging system, or a computed tomography system.

7. The therapeutic apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a subject support for supporting the subject, wherein the respiratory sensor is a force sensor integrated into the subject support such that the respiratory sensor supports at least a portion of the subject'"'"'s weight.

8. The therapeutic apparatus of claim 7, wherein the force sensor is structured and configured to acquires time-dependent-force-data, and wherein the time-dependent-force-data comprises a ballistocardiogram signal.

9. The therapeutic apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a low pass filter structured and configured for filtering the force data into respiratory-phase-data.

10. The therapeutic apparatus of claim 6, wherein execution of the instructions further cause the processor to:

receive time dependent force data from the force sensor;

calculate an averaged energy signal in accordance with the time dependent force data; and

send at least one stop control signals to the therapeutic system that cause the treatment of the target zone to stop if the averaged energy signal is above a predetermined averaged energy threshold.

11. The therapeutic apparatus of claim 7, wherein the therapeutic system comprises a high intensity focused ultrasound system integrated into the subject support, wherein the high intensity focused ultrasound system comprises an ultrasound transducer with an adjustable focus.

12. The therapeutic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the therapeutic system comprise at least one of the following:

a gamma-radiation treatment system, a charged particle treatment system, a therapeutic X-ray system, a proton therapy system, a cryo-ablation system, a laser treatment system, a radio-frequency ablation system, or a high intensity focused ultrasound system.

13. The therapeutic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control signals cause the therapeutic system to cause treatment of the target zone while the processor is:

receiving the time-dependent-respiratory-phase-data from the respiration sensor,

generating the focus-adjustment-control-signals in accordance with the time dependent respiratory data, and

sending the focus-adjustment-control-signals to the therapeutic system.

14. A computer-implemented method of operating a therapeutic apparatus, wherein the therapeutic apparatus comprises a therapeutic system for treating a target zone of a subject, wherein the therapeutic system has an adjustable focus for directing radiation into the target zone, wherein the therapeutic apparatus further comprises a respiration sensor for measuring a respiratory phase of the subject, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

sending control signals to the therapeutic system that cause treatment of the target zone,

receiving time-dependent-respiratory-phase-data from the respiration sensor,

generating focus-adjustment-control-signals in accordance with the time-dependent-respiratory-phase-data, and

sending the focus-adjustment-control-signals to the therapeutic system.

15. A computer program product comprising machine executable instructions for execution by a processor of a therapeutic apparatus, wherein the therapeutic apparatus comprises a therapeutic system for treating a target zone of a subject, wherein the therapeutic system has an adjustable focus for directing radiation into the target zone, wherein the apparatus further comprises a respiration sensor for measuring a respiratory phase of the subject, wherein execution of the instructions cause the processor to:

send control signals to the therapeutic system that cause treatment of the target zone,

receive time-dependent-respiratory-phase-data from the respiration sensor,

generate focus-adjustment-control-signals in accordance with the time dependent respiratory data, and

send the focus-adjustment-control-signals to the therapeutic system.