Portable orthovoltage radiotherapy

• US 7,822,175 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2007
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carl Zeiss Meditec Incorporated (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Oraya Therapeutics, Inc.
• Inventors: Gertner, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Glick; Edward J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Midkiff; Anastasia
• Application Number:
  US11/833,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20080144771A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 378/65, 378/68, 606 1- 6, 606/10, 606/13, 606/17, 606/107, 606/130, 600/1, 600/2, 600/407, 600425-429, 604/19, 604/20
• US Class Current: 378/65
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/306 holding by means of suction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/506 for diagnosis of nerves
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/009 Auxiliary devices making contact with the eyeball and coupling in laser light, e.g. goniolenses apparatus for eye examination A61B3/0008
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/105 using a laser alignment system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1056 by projecting a visible image of the treatment field
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1091 Kilovoltage or orthovoltage range photons
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1017 Treatment of the eye, e.g. for "macular degeneration"
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/103 Treatment planning systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1049 for verifying the position of the patient with respect to the radiation beam

Abstract

A portable orthovoltage radiotherapy system is described that is configured to deliver a therapeutic dose of radiation to a target structure in a patient. In some embodiments, inflammatory ocular disorders are treated, specifically macular degeneration. In some embodiments, the ocular structures are placed in a global coordinate system based on ocular imaging. In some embodiments, the ocular structures inside the global coordinate system lead to direction of an automated positioning system that is directed based on the ocular structures within the coordinate system.

Claims

1. A method, of applying radiation to a patient'"'"'s eye, comprising:

obtaining imaging data of at least a portion of the eye;

identifying, based on the imaging data, a location of the macula of the eye;

identifying a first location of a fiducial marker located in or on the eye;

mapping a location of the macula, relative to the first location of the fiducial marker, in a coordinate system, thereby producing a mapped macula location in the coordinate system;

positioning, based on the mapped macula location, a radiation source that applies radiation to the macula;

emitting the radiation from the positioned radiation source to the macula; and

positioning a contact lens, that contacts the sclera of the eye and that comprises the fiducial marker, on the eye.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising collimating the emitted radiation to a radiation beam having a cross-sectional width of less than about 6 mm.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising repositioning the radiation source based on a movement of the fiducial marker to a second location of the fiducial marker.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after mapping the location of the macula, detecting a movement of the eye.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining a relative relationship between a new location of the macula and the mapped macula location in the coordinate system after the detecting of the eye movement.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising emitting the radiation toward a region of drusen in the eye.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the emitting the radiation comprises emitting an x-ray beam.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising applying at least one additional radiation beam to the macula.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the x-ray beam and the at least one additional radiation beam are applied simultaneously.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the imaging data is obtained with at least one of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, optical coherence tomography, and positron emission tomography.

2. A method, of applying radiation to a patient'"'"'s eye, comprising:

obtaining imaging data of at least a portion of the eye;

identifying, based on the imaging data, a location of the macula of the eye;

identifying a first location of a fiducial marker located in or on the eye;

mapping a location of the macula, relative to the first location of the fiducial marker, in a coordinate system, thereby producing a mapped macula location in the coordinate system;

positioning, based on the mapped macula location, a radiation source that applies radiation to the macula;

emitting the radiation from the positioned radiation source to the macula; and

positioning a contact lens, that contacts the cornea of the eye and that comprises the fiducial marker, on the eye.

12. The method of claim 2, further comprising collimating the emitted radiation to a radiation beam having a cross-sectional width of less than about 6 mm.

13. The method of claim 2, further comprising repositioning the radiation source based on a movement of the fiducial marker to a second location of the fiducial marker.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising, after the repositioning of the radiation source, emitting an additional radiation beam from the radiation source to the macula.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising, after the repositioning of the radiation source, emitting an additional radiation beam from the radiation source to the macula.

16. The method of claim 2, further comprising, after mapping the location of the macula, detecting a movement of the eye.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining a relative relationship between a new location of the macula and the mapped macula location in the coordinate system after the detecting of the eye movement.

18. The method of claim 2, further comprising emitting the radiation toward a region of drusen in the eye.

19. The method of claim 2, wherein the emitting the radiation comprises emitting an x-ray beam.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising applying at least one additional radiation beam to the macula.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the x-ray beam and the at least one additional radiation beam are applied simultaneously.

22. The method of claim 2, wherein the imaging data is obtained with at least one of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, optical coherence tomography, and positron emission tomography.