Patient positioning system

• US 9,950,194 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2014
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mevion Medical Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mevion Medical Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Bouchet, Lionel G., Rakes, Richard Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnston, Phillip A
• Application Number:
  US14/481,609
• Publication Number:
  US 20160067525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 2504921, 600407-427
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1052 using positron emission tomography [PET] single photon emission computer tomography [SPECT] imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1055 using magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1059 using cameras imaging the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1061 using an x-ray imaging system having a separate imaging source
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1087 Ions; Protons
• 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 5/1069 Target adjustment, e.g. moving the patient support
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/107 in real time, i.e. during treatment

Abstract

An example treatment system includes: a treatment couch for holding a patient; fiducials associated with the patient; an imaging system to capture an image of the fiducials and of an irradiation target while the patient is on the treatment couch, where the image is captured in a treatment room where treatment is to be performed; a mechanism to move the treatment couch; and a computer system programmed to align locations of the fiducials to the fiducials in the image, and to determine a location of the irradiation target relative to a treatment system based on locations of the fiducials and based on the image. The movement of the treatment couch into a treatment position in the treatment room may be based on the location of the irradiation target.

Claims

1. A method of positioning a patient for treatment using a particle therapy system, comprising:

associating fiducials with the patient;

using a first imaging system located at an imaging position to capture a first image of the fiducials and of an irradiation target while the patient is on a treatment couch, the imaging position being in a treatment room where treatment using the particle therapy system is to be performed;

moving the treatment couch while the patient is on the treatment couch from the imaging position toward a treatment position at which the treatment using the particle therapy system is to be performed, the treatment position being different from the imaging position and being in the treatment room;

following movement of the treatment couch, using a second imaging system to capture a second image of the fiducials in the treatment room while the patient is on the treatment couch;

determining locations of the fiducials in the treatment room based on both the first image and the second image;

determining a location of the irradiation target relative to the particle therapy system based on locations of the fiducials in the treatment room and in the first image; and

moving the treatment couch into the treatment position in the treatment room based on the location of the irradiation target;

wherein the patient remains on the treatment couch during capturing the first image, through moving the treatment couch toward the treatment position, through capturing the second image, and through moving the treatment couch into the treatment position.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first imaging system is configured to capture internal images of the patient and of the fiducials;

and

wherein the second imaging system is configured to capture external images of the fiducials.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image comprises one or more of the following:

an X-ray radiograph image, a computed tomography (CT) image that is captured by a CT imaging device, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) image that is captured by an MRI imaging device, a positron emission tomography (PET) image that is captured by a PET device, an image captured by a video surface imaging device, or an image captured by a SPECT/CT device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

treating the patient at the treatment position;

wherein treating the patient comprising irradiating the patient with protons using the particle therapy system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the particle therapy system has an isocenter, the isocenter comprising the treatment position.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the irradiation target relative to the particle therapy system is determined based on a reference coordinate system of the treatment room.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein associating fiducials with the patient comprises:

securing the patient to the treatment couch relative to the fiducials;

or

securing the fiducials relative to the patient.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein moving the treatment couch into the treatment position is performed using a robotic mechanism that moves the treatment couch automatically from the imaging position to the treatment position while the patient remains on the treatment couch.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein moving the treatment couch is performed manually while the patient remains on the treatment couch.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein associating fiducials with the patient comprises arranging fiducials on the patient.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein associating fiducials with the patient comprises identifying anatomical landmarks on the patient, and designating the anatomical landmarks to be the fiducials.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein associating fiducials with the patient comprises arranging a frame over at least part of the patient, and securing the fiducials to the frame.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image comprises a three-dimensional (3D) image or a two-dimensional (2D) image.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an orientation of the irradiation target based on locations of the fiducials in the treatment room and in the first image; and

orienting the treatment based on the orientation of the irradiation target.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking movement of the fiducials over time; and

controlling movement of the treatment couch based on movement of the fiducials.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking movement of the fiducials over time; and

controlling treatment based on movement of the fiducials.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing the first image comprises capturing the first image at different times;

and

wherein the method further comprises;

identifying movement of the fiducials based on different positions of the fiducials at different times; and

controlling treatment based on the movement.

7. The method of claim, wherein the particle therapy system has an isocenter;

and

wherein moving the treatment couch into the treatment position comprises moving the treatment couch so that the location of the irradiation target corresponds to the a location of the isocenter.

19. A treatment system comprising:

a treatment couch for holding a patient;

fiducials associated with the patient;

a first imaging system located at an imaging position to capture a first image of the fiducials and of an irradiation target while the patient is on the treatment couch, the first imaging system being in a treatment room where treatment using a particle therapy system is to be performed;

a mechanism to move the treatment couch while the patient is on the treatment couch from the imaging position toward a treatment position at which the treatment using the particle therapy system is to be performed, the treatment position being different from the imaging position and being in the treatment room;

a second imaging system to capture a second image of the fiducials in the treatment room following movement of the treatment couch toward the treatment position and while the patient is on the treatment couch; and

a computer system programmed to align locations of the fiducials in the second image to locations in the treatment room, to align locations of fiducials in the first image to the locations in the treatment room, and to determine a location of the irradiation target relative to the particle therapy system based on the locations of the fiducials in the treatment room and based on the first image

wherein the mechanism to move the treatment couch is controllable to move the treatment couch based on the location of the irradiation target so that the irradiation target is in the treatment position;

wherein the patient remains on the treatment couch during capturing the first image, through moving the treatment couch toward the treatment position, and during capturing the second image.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first imaging system is configured to capture internal images of the patient and of the fiducials;

and

wherein the second imaging system is configured to capture external images of the fiducials.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the first imaging system comprises one or more of the following:

an X-ray device to capture a radiograph image, a computed tomography (CT) device to capture a CT image, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device to capture an MM image, a positron emission tomography (PET) device to capture a PET image, a video surface imaging device, or a SPECT/CT device.

22. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

the particle therapy system comprising a particle accelerator system to treat the patient at the treatment position;

wherein treating the patient comprising irradiating the patient with protons output by the particle accelerator.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the particle therapy system has an isocenter, the isocenter comprising the treatment position.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the location of the irradiation target relative to the particle therapy system is determined based on a reference coordinate system of the treatment room.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the particle therapy system has an isocenter;

and

wherein moving the treatment couch into the treatment position comprises moving the treatment couch so that the location of the irradiation target corresponds to a location of the isocenter.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the reference coordinate system is part of a real world space that includes the treatment system.

27. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

restraints to secure the patient to the treatment couch.

28. The system of claim 19, wherein the mechanism comprises a robotic mechanism, the robotic mechanism being configured to automatically move the treatment couch from the imaging position to the treatment position while the patient remains on the treatment couch.

29. The system of claim 19, wherein the mechanism is controllable to manually move the treatment couch while the patient remains on the treatment couch.

30. The system of claim 19, wherein the fiducials are arranged on the patient.

31. The system of claim 19, wherein the fiducials comprise anatomical landmarks on the patient.

32. The system of claim 19, further comprising a frame over at least part of the patient, the fiducials being secured to the frame.

33. The system of claim 19, wherein the first image comprises a three-dimensional (3D) image or a two-dimensional (2D) image.

34. The system of claim 19, wherein the computer system is programmed to perform operations comprising:

determining an orientation of the irradiation target based on locations of the fiducials in the treatment room and in the first image; and

orienting the treatment based on the orientation of the irradiation target.

35. The system of claim 19, wherein the computer system is programmed to perform operations comprising:

tracking movement of the fiducials over time; and

controlling movement of the treatment couch based on movement of the fiducials.

36. The system of claim 19, wherein the computer system is programmed to perform operations comprising:

tracking movement of the fiducials over time; and

controlling treatment based on movement of the fiducials.

37. The system of claim 19, wherein capturing the first image comprises capturing the first image at different times;

and

wherein the computer system is programmed to perform operations comprising;

identifying movement of the fiducials based on different positions of the fiducials at different times; and

controlling treatment based on the movement.