Orthovoltage radiotherapy

• US 8,238,517 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2009
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carl Zeiss Meditec Incorporated (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Oraya Therapeutics, Inc.
• Inventors: Gertner, Michael, Hansen, Steven D., Chell, Erik
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Allen C.
• Application Number:
  US12/538,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20100067657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• Field of Search: 378/65, 378/151, 378/205, 378/206, 378/145, 378/147
• US Class Current: 378/65
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/506 for diagnosis of nerves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/508 for non-human patients
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1019 Sources therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1022 Generators, e.g. X-ray tubes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/105 using a laser alignment system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1051 using an active marker
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1059 using cameras imaging the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1091 Kilovoltage or orthovoltage range photons
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1097 Means for immobilizing the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/10 X-ray therapy; Gamma-ray therapy; Particle-irradiation therapy A61N5/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1001 using radiation sources introduced into or applied onto the body; brachytherapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1017 Treatment of the eye, e.g. for "macular degeneration"
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1045 using a multi-leaf collimator, e.g. for intensity modulated radiation therapy or IMRT
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1048 Monitoring, verifying, controlling systems and methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1049 for verifying the position of the patient with respect to the radiation beam
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1064 for adjusting radiation treatment in response to monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1065 Beam adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1067 in real time, i.e. during treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1077 Beam delivery systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1084 for delivering multiple intersecting beams at the same time, e.g. gamma knives

Abstract

A radiosurgery 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, other disorders or tissues of a body are treated with the dose of radiation. In some embodiments, the target tissues are placed in a global coordinate system based on ocular imaging. In some embodiments, the target tissues inside the global coordinate system lead to direction of an automated positioning system that is directed based on the target tissues within the coordinate system. In some embodiments, a treatment plan is utilised in which beam energy and direction and duration of time for treatment is determined for a specific disease to be treated and/or structures to be avoided. In some embodiments, a fiducial marker is used to identify the location of the target tissues. In some embodiments, radiodynamic therapy is described in which radiosurgery is used in combination with other treatments and can be delivered concomitant with, prior to, or following other treatments.

Claims

1. A system, for treating a target tissue with radiation, comprising:

a radiation source that emits x-ray radiation during a treatment session and a collimator that collimates the emitted x-ray radiation into an x-ray beam having a cross-sectional dimension, as the beam exits the collimator, of less than about 6 mm;

a mapping module that repeatedly maps, during the treatment session, a location of the target tissue to a coordinate system; and

a movement module that directs the x-ray beam, during the treatment session, along a trajectory that is based, at least in part, on at least one mapped location of the coordinate system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the radiation source is configured such that a maximum x-ray beam energy emitted during the treatment session is between 1 and 500 KeV.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the mapping module is configured to detect a fiducial marker indicative of a position of the target tissue.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the fiducial marker is implanted within an eye.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the fiducial marker comprises an eye contact member.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the mapping module receives data from the eye contact member.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the eye contact member contains a fiducial marker imageable with visible light.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a sensing module that senses a position of the target tissue relative to the radiation source.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the mapping module repeatedly maps the location of the target tissue based, at least in part, on data from the sensing module.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the mapping module compares an actual degree of movement of the target tissue to a threshold degree of movement.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the radiation source ceases emission of radiation when the actual degree of movement exceeds the threshold degree of movement.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the mapping module maps the location of the target tissue based, at least in part, on a monte carlo simulation.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the mapping module determines, based on the monte carlo simulation, whether actual movement of the target tissue is beyond a threshold movement.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said monte carlo simulation is used by the system to minimize dose to the optic disk and the lens of the eye.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the trajectory is a path from the radiation source to the target tissue that passes through the pars plana of the eye.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the radiation source is configured to be placed within 50 cm of the target tissue.