Apparatus and method to gate a source for radiation therapy

• US 5,764,723 A
• Filed: 10/16/1996
• Issued: 06/09/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Trustees Of Columbia University In The City Of New York (Columbia University)
• Original Assignee: Trustees Of Columbia University In The City Of New York (Columbia University)
• Inventors: Weinberger, Judah Z., Amols, Howard I., Schiff, Peter B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta, David P.
• Application Number:
  US08/730,965
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 378/64, 378/65, 378/68, 378/69, 378/95
• US Class Current: 378/65
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/541 involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1048 Monitoring, verifying, controlling systems and methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1064 for adjusting radiation treatment in response to monitoring

Abstract

A radiation therapy apparatus and method for applying radiation to a patient in synchronism with one of a plurality of states of a cardiac cycle of the patient and one of a plurality of states of a respiratory cycle of the patient. An electrocardiograph is operatively connected to the patient and a respiratory monitor is operatively connected to the patient. A controller is provided for receiving an output from said electrocardiograph indicative of which of said plurality of cardiac cycle states the cardiac cycle is presently in and for receiving an output from said respiratory monitor indicative of which of said plurality of respiratory cycle states said respiratory cycle is presently in. A radiation applicator applies radiation to the patient in response to a trigger signal from the controller, said trigger signal being generated by said controller in response to said output from said electrocardiograph and said output from said respiratory monitor.

Claims

1. A radiation therapy apparatus for applying radiation to a patient in synchronism with one of a plurality of states of a cardiac cycle of the patient and one of a plurality of states of a respiratory cycle of the patient, comprising:

an electrocardiograph operatively connected to the patient;

a respiratory monitor operatively connected to the patient;

means for interactively receiving user input indicative of a selected point or interval of time when a chosen one of said plurality of cardiac cycle states overlaps with a chosen one of said plurality of respiratory cycle states;

control means supplied with the user input from the means for receiving, an output from said electrocardiograph indicative of which of said plurality of cardiac cycle states the cardiac cycle is presently in, and an output from said respiratory monitor indicative of which of said plurality of respiratory cycle states said respiratory cycle is presently in; and

radiation application means for applying radiation to the patient in response to a trigger signal from said control means, said trigger signal being generated by said control means in response to said user input from the means for receiving, said output from said electrocardiograph, and said output from said respiratory monitor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said radiation application means comprises an x-ray production means for applying x-ray radiation.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said x-ray production means includes a linear accelerator.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a linear accelerator grid controller responsive to said trigger signal for controlling said linear accelerator.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said x-ray production means includes a rotating slit collimator.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a motor controller responsive to said trigger signal for controlling said rotating slit collimator.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said control means comprises a computer.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising an analog-to-digital converter connected to said electrocardiograph, said respiratory monitor, and said control means, said analog-to-digital converter being disposed between said electrocardiograph and said control means for converting an analog signal input thereto from the electrocardiograph into a digital signal that is output to said control means and said analog-to-digital converter being disposed between said respiratory monitor and said control means for converting an analog signal input thereto from the respiratory monitor into a digital signal that is output to said control means.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said trigger signal from said control means is produced in response to the detection by the control means of the occurrence within a predetermined time period specified by the user input of a predetermined one of said plurality of cardiac cycle states and a predetermined one of said plurality of respiratory cycle states.

10. A radiation therapy apparatus for applying radiation to a patient in synchronism with one of a plurality of states of a cardiac cycle of the patient and one of a plurality of states of a respiratory cycle of the patient, comprising:

an electrocardiograph operatively connected to the patient;

a respiratory monitor operatively connected to the patient;

display means for receiving an output from said electrocardiograph for displaying which of said plurality of cardiac cycle states the cardiac cycle was in at a given time and for receiving an output of said respiratory monitor for displaying which of said plurality of respiratory cycle states said respiratory cycle was at a given time;

means for interactively receiving user input indicative of a selected point or interval of time when a chosen one of said plurality of cardiac cycle states overlaps with a chosen one of said plurality of respiratory cycle states;

control means supplied with the user input from the means for receiving for outputting a trigger signal at said selected point or interval of time based upon the output from the electrocardiograph input thereto and the output from the respiratory monitor input thereto; and

radiation application means for applying radiation to the patient in response to the trigger signal from said control means.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said radiation application means comprises an x-ray production means for applying x-ray radiation.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said x-ray production means includes a linear accelerator.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a linear accelerator grid controller responsive to said trigger signal for controlling said linear accelerator.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said x-ray production means includes a rotating slit collimator.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a motor controller responsive to said trigger signal for controlling said rotating slit collimator.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said control means comprises a computer.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising an analog-to-digital converter connected to said electrocardiograph, said respiratory monitor, and said control means, said analog-to-digital converter being disposed between said electrocardiograph and said control means for converting an analog signal input thereto from the electrocardiograph into a digital signal that is output to said control means and said analog-to-digital converter being disposed between said respiratory monitor and said control means for converting an analog signal input thereto from the respiratory monitor into a digital signal that is output to said control means.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said control means further comprises storage means for storing a plurality of selected points of time corresponding to a respective plurality of patients, whereby said plurality of selected points of time are received by said control means through said means for receiving user input, and whereby said control means outputs a trigger signal at one of said stored plurality of selected points of time based upon the output from the electrocardiograph input thereto in response to user input selecting one of said plurality of patients.

19. A method of applying radiation to a patient in synchronism with one of a plurality of states of a cardiac cycle of the patient and one of a plurality of states of a respiratory cycle of the patient, comprising;

operatively connecting an electrocardiograph to the patient;

operatively connecting a respiratory monitor to the patient;

interactively receiving, at means for receiving user input, user input indicative of a selected point or interval of time when a chosen one of said plurality of cardiac cycle states overlaps with a chosen one of said plurality of respiratory cycle states;

receiving, at control means supplied with said user input, an output from said electrocardiograph indicative of which of said plurality of cardiac cycle states the cardiac cycle is presently in and receiving, at the control means, an output from said respiratory monitor indicative of which of said plurality of respiratory cycle states said respiratory cycle is presently; and

applying radiation to the patient in response to a trigger signal from said control means, said trigger signal being generated by said control means in response to said user input, said output from said electrocardiograph, and said output from said respiratory monitor.

20. A method of applying radiation to a patient in synchronism with one of a plurality of states of a cardiac cycle of the patient and one of a plurality of states of a respiratory cycle of the patient, comprising:

operatively connecting an electrocardiograph to the patient;

operatively connecting a respiratory monitor to the patient;

displaying, on display means, an output from said electrocardiograph indicative of which of said plurality of cardiac cycle states the cardiac cycle was in at a given time and displaying, on the display means, an output from said respiratory monitor indicative of which of said plurality of respiratory cycle states said respiratory cycle was in at a given time;

interactively receiving, at means for receiving user input, user input indicative of a selected point or interval of time when a chosen one of said plurality of cardiac cycle states overlaps with a chosen one of said Plurality of respirator cycle states;

receiving, at control means, the user input and outputting a trigger signal from the control means at said selected point or interval of time based upon the output from the electrocardiograph input to the control means and the output from the respiratory monitor input to the control means; and

applying radiation to the patient in response to the trigger signal from said control means.