Patient positioning device and patient positioning method
First Claim
1. A patient positioning device for positioning a couch supporting a patient to which a charged particle beam is irradiated from a particle beam irradiation system, said patient positioning device comprising:
- an X-ray emission device;
an image information generator for generating second image information regarding a portion of the patient lying across the path of said charged particle beam by using a signal depending on the X-ray emitted from said X-ray emission device; and
a processing unit for setting, with respect to a first image information which serves as a reference image prepared beforehand based on image data of a tumor in the body of the patient and including an isocenter, a first set area smaller than an area of said first image information and including said isocenter, setting, with respect to the second image information, a second set area smaller than an area of said second image information and having substantially the same size as said first set area and including a position corresponding to the path of said charged particle beam, executing primary pattern matching between the first image information in said first set area and the second image information in said second set area by moving said second set area within said area of said second image information to determine a primary matching area having said second image information most similar to said first image information in said first set area, and executing secondary pattern matching comparing the first image information in said first set area and the second image information in said primary matching area by moving the second image information in said primary matching area relative to the first image information in said first set area, thereby producing information used for positioning of said couch based on a positional offset between said second image information in said second set area before executing said primary pattern matching and said second image information in said primary matching area determined by said primary pattern matching and a positional offset between said second image information in said primary matching area determined by said primary pattern matching and said second image information in said primary matching area provided by said secondary pattern matching.
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Abstract
The invention is intended to always ensure a sufficient level of patient positioning accuracy regardless of the skills of individual operators. In a patient positioning device for positioning a patient couch 59 and irradiating an ion beam toward a tumor in the body of a patient 8 from a particle beam irradiation section 4, the patient positioning device comprises an X-ray emission device 26 for emitting an X-ray along a beam line m from the particle beam irradiation section 4, an X-ray image capturing device 29 for receiving the X-ray and processing an X-ray image, a display unit 39B for displaying a current image of the tumor in accordance with a processed image signal, a display unit 39A for displaying a reference X-ray image of the tumor which is prepared in advance, and a positioning data generator 37 for executing pattern matching between a comparison area A being a part of the reference X-ray image and including an isocenter and a comparison area B or a final comparison area B in the current image, thereby producing data used for positioning of the patient couch 59 during irradiation.
201 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A patient positioning device for positioning a couch supporting a patient to which a charged particle beam is irradiated from a particle beam irradiation system, said patient positioning device comprising:
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an X-ray emission device; an image information generator for generating second image information regarding a portion of the patient lying across the path of said charged particle beam by using a signal depending on the X-ray emitted from said X-ray emission device; and a processing unit for setting, with respect to a first image information which serves as a reference image prepared beforehand based on image data of a tumor in the body of the patient and including an isocenter, a first set area smaller than an area of said first image information and including said isocenter, setting, with respect to the second image information, a second set area smaller than an area of said second image information and having substantially the same size as said first set area and including a position corresponding to the path of said charged particle beam, executing primary pattern matching between the first image information in said first set area and the second image information in said second set area by moving said second set area within said area of said second image information to determine a primary matching area having said second image information most similar to said first image information in said first set area, and executing secondary pattern matching comparing the first image information in said first set area and the second image information in said primary matching area by moving the second image information in said primary matching area relative to the first image information in said first set area, thereby producing information used for positioning of said couch based on a positional offset between said second image information in said second set area before executing said primary pattern matching and said second image information in said primary matching area determined by said primary pattern matching and a positional offset between said second image information in said primary matching area determined by said primary pattern matching and said second image information in said primary matching area provided by said secondary pattern matching. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A patient positioning method for positioning a couch supporting a patient to which a charged particle beam is irradiated from a particle beam irradiation system, said patient positioning method comprising the steps of:
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generating, based on the X-ray having penetrated a portion of the patient lying across the path of said charged particle beam, second image information regarding the portion of the patient; setting, with respect to a first image information which serves as a reference image prepared beforehand based on image data of the tumor in the body of the patient and including an isocenter, a first set area smaller than an area of said first image information and including said isocenter; setting, with respect to the second image information, a second set area smaller than an area of said second image information and having substantially the same size as said first set area and including a position corresponding to the path of said charged particle beam; executing primary pattern matching between the first image information in said first set area and the second image information in said second set area by moving said second set area within said area of said second image information to determine a primary matching area having said second image information most similar to said first image information in said first set area; and executing secondary pattern matching comparing the first image information in said first set area and the second image information in said primary matching area by moving the second image information in said primary matching area relative to the first image information in said first set area, thereby producing information used for positioning of said couch based on a positional offset between said second image information in said second set area before executing said primary pattern matching and said second image information in said primary matching area determined by said primary pattern matching and a positional offset between said second image information in said primary matching area determined by said primary pattern matching and said second image information in said primary matching area provided by said secondary pattern matching. - View Dependent Claims (12)
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Specification