Radiation therapy dosimetry quality control process

• US 6,853,702 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2000
• Issued: 02/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lifeline Software Inc. (LAP GmbH Laser Applikationen)
• Original Assignee: Wendel Dean Renner
• Inventors: Renner, Wendel Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): BRUCE, DAVID VERNON
• Application Number:
  US09/736,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20030076926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• Field of Search: 378/65, 378/8, 378/11, 378/12, 378/16, 378/18, 378/19, 378/95, 378/147, 378/165, 378/210
• US Class Current: 378/65
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1048 Monitoring, verifying, controlling systems and methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1071 for verifying the dose delivered by the treatment plan
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1075 for testing, calibrating, or quality assurance of the radiation treatment apparatus

Abstract

A treatment verification process for radiation therapy consisting of measuring each of the radiation beams that are to be applied to the patient by making a calibrated image of the field for each beam. The measured beams are then processed and converted to relative monitor units. Software like a treatment planning system is then used to compute the dose to the patient for comparison with the intended treatment prescription.

Claims

1. In a radiation therapy machine having a gantry mounted radiation source for producing a plurality of radiation beams directed toward a patient at selected gantry angles, the beams including a plurality of absorbing devices to shape and modify the intensity across the beam, the process of verifying the dose delivered to or to be delivered to the patient from a plurality of such beams consisting of the steps of:

(a) measuring the output of each such intended treatment beam over the area of the beam in a plane perpendicular to the central ray of the beam using a pre-patient detector prior to impinging upon the patient,

(b) using said measured output of each beam to calculate the dose to the patient from the beam using a dose algorithm,

(c) accumulating the dose to the patient from all such treatment beams to produce a dose distribution,

(d) using said dose distribution to compare to the intended dose to verify the correctness of the treatment.

2. The process of claim 1 performed without the patient present.

3. The process of claim 1 performed while treating the patient.

4. In a radiation therapy machine having a gantry mounted radiation source for producing a plurality of radiation beams directed toward a patient at selected gantry angles, the beams including a plurality of absorbing devices to shape and modify the intensity across the beam, the process of verifying the dose delivered to or to be delivered to the patient from a plurality of such beams consisting of the steps of:

(a) measuring the output of each such intended treatment beam over the area of the beam in a plane perpendicular to the central ray of the beam prior to impinging upon the patient,

(b) using said measured output of each beam to calculate the dose to the patient from the beam using a dose algorithm,

(c) accumulating the dose to the patient from all such treatment beams to produce a dose distribution,

(d) using said dose distribution to compare to the intended dose to verify the correctness of the treatment,

wherein said process is performed while treating the patient.