Orthovoltage radiotherapy

• US 8,787,524 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2012
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• 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.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Allen C.
• Application Number:
  US13/670,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20130301800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 378/65, 378/68, 378/69, 378/205, 378/206
• 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

Radiosurgery systems are described that are configured to deliver a therapeutic dose of radiation to a target structure in a patient. In some embodiments, inflammatory ocular disorders are treated, and in some embodiments, other disorders or tissues of a body are treated with the dose of radiation. In some embodiments, target tissues are placed in a global coordinate system based on ocular imaging. In some embodiments, a fiducial marker is used to identify the location of the target tissues.

Claims

1. A system, for treating a target tissue of an eye with x-ray radiation, comprising:

a radiation source configured to emit x-ray beams at the target tissue of the eye;

an alignment system configured to align the x-ray beams with an axis traversing the target tissue and, based on an indication of a location of the target tissue, directs the x-ray beams to be emitted toward the target tissue; and

a holder configured to stabilize the eye during emission of the x-ray beams and comprising a fiducial marker configured to provide the indication of the location of the target tissue.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the alignment system is configured to align the x-ray beams repeatedly during a treatment session.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising an imaging system configured to determine the axis traversing the target tissue.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said axis comprises a geometric axis of the eye.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said axis comprises a visual axis of the eye.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a collimator configured to collimate emitted x-rays into the x-ray beams.

7. A system, for treating a target tissue with x-ray radiation, comprising:

a radiation source that emits an x-ray beam and comprises an imageable light source that indicates an approximate center of a beam spot of the x-ray beam at the target tissue;

an alignment system that aligns the x-ray beam with an axis traversing the target tissue and that positions the radiation source such that a trajectory of the x-ray beam traverses the target tissue;

an eye holder that engages an eye during emission of the x-ray beam, the eye holder comprising a fiducial marker that provides an indication of a location of the target tissue; and

a processing module that outputs to the alignment system a direction for the x-ray beam to be emitted toward the target tissue based on a location of the fiducial marker that provides indication of a location of the target tissue.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the imageable light source comprises a laser.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the alignment system further comprises a programmable electromotive system that moves the radiation source.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising a collimator configured to collimate the x-ray beam such that the x-ray beam has a penumbra at the target tissue with less than 20 percent of radiation at the target tissue and from the collimator being outside a zone defined by the collimator.

11. The system of claim 7, further comprising a collimator that collimates x-ray radiation into the x-ray beam.

12. A system, for treating a target tissue of an eye with x-ray radiation from an x-ray radiation source, comprising:

an eye holder comprising a fiducial marker along an axis traversing the eye;

an alignment system having a coordinate system defining the axis traversing the target tissue; and

a processing module that outputs to the alignment system, based on the fiducial marker, a direction for the x-ray radiation emitted from the x-ray radiation source toward the target tissue.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising an imaging system that determines the axis traversing the target tissue.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said target tissue comprises an eye and said axis traversing the plane of the eye is determined by an anatomic feature of the eye.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein said processing module outputs a position for the x-ray radiation source.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein said axis comprises a geometric axis of the eye.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein said axis comprises a visual axis of the eye.

18. The system of claim 12, further comprising a collimator that is configured to collimate the x-ray radiation such that the x-ray radiation has a penumbra at the target tissue with less than 20 percent of the x-ray radiation at the target tissue and from the collimator being outside a zone defined by the collimator.