Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080298536 | TARGET POSITIONER - A target positioner including a radiation source disposed in a source housing, the radiation source adapted to emit a radiation beam, a target holder adapted to be attached to and generally immobilize a target organ, the target holder being rotatingly attached to a bearing assembly, a patient support table for supporting a patient thereon, a rotator for turning the patient support table about a rotation axis, and a source arm fixedly attached at one portion thereof to the source housing and at another portion thereof to the bearing assembly, such that when the target holder is attached to a target organ and the rotator turns the patient support table about the rotation axis, the target holder constrains the target organ from translating with respect to the radiation source and the source housing, and wherein the target holder permits the target organ to rotate by means of the bearing assembly relative to the source housing while experiencing slight translations with respect to the patient support table, so that the radiation beam emanating from the radiation source impinges upon the target organ at a plurality of angles irrespective of the misalignments between the radiation beam and the patient support table and between the patient support table and the target organ. | 12-04-2008 |
20090010395 | ADJUSTABLE APERTURE COLLIMATOR - A collimator including an inner border whose inner perimeter defines an aperture, an outer border positioned outwards of the inner border, an enclosure being defined and bounded between the inner and outer borders, the enclosure being sufficiently filled with a radiopaque pliable material so as to block a predefined amount of radiation from passing through the enclosure, while allowing radiation to pass through the aperture, and at least one actuator attached to at least one point of the inner border operable to deform the inner border so as to modify a shape of the aperture. | 01-08-2009 |
20090018678 | ARTIFICIAL CONTESTS AMONG TEMPORAL SEQUENCES - A method for arranging a primary contest including a primary computer system in communication with a data feed to a source of data including sequences, wherein the sequences are discrete functions of time, the method including selecting sequences as contestants in the contest, providing a definition of a contest outcome as a measure relating to either a contestant's performance independently of other contestants or a joint performance of interacting contestants, receiving data from the data feed, wherein the data relates to the sequences selected, and determining an outcome of the contest according to the definition. | 01-15-2009 |
20090074140 | RADIOTHERAPY SYSTEM WITH TURNTABLE - A radiotherapy system including a collimator operable to shape and steer a radiation beam in at least one dimension, a turntable for supporting a patient thereupon adapted to rotate the patient about a rotational axis, the patient having a target therein for irradiation by the radiation beam, a detector adapted for measuring a position of the target relative to the radiation beam, and a processor adapted to receive target positional data from the detector, the processor being in communication with the collimator for causing the collimator to steer the radiation beam in a direction to the target. | 03-19-2009 |
20090110142 | OBJECT ROTATION FOR CT DATA ACQUISITION - A computed tomography (CT) scanning system including a source operable to emit a cone beam of radiation toward an object, a detector operable to detect radiation emitted by the source and to produce detector values related to projections of an object attenuation, a turntable operable to rotate the object about a rotational axis, and a source mover operable to move the source so as to vary an angle between the cone beam and the rotational axis. | 04-30-2009 |
20090156930 | IMAGING SIMULATION FROM A REFERENCE TO A TILT ANGLE - A method including obtaining reference image data-sets of a tissue related to respective reference patient tilt angles, wherein each reference image data-set is associated with a respective tilt angle, which is a combination of axial and transverse gravitational force components applied to the tissue, using the reference image data-sets to derive a formula relating an image data-set of said tissue to a given combination of axial and transverse gravitational force components, and using the formula to simulate an image data-set of a desired patient tilt angle. | 06-18-2009 |
20090184261 | IMAGING WITH A PLURALITY OF SOURCES TO A COMMON DETECTOR - An image scanning system including a plurality of spatially-distributed radiation beam sources, each source operative to emit a radiation beam characterized by a distinguishing parameter unique to each radiation beam source, and a common detector arranged with respect to the radiation beam sources such that the radiation beam sources emit their radiation beams onto the common detector which is operable to receive and distinguish the radiation beams on the basis of their respective distinguishing parameters so as to acquire partial projections sets of an object through which the radiation beams pass, wherein a union of the partial projections sets forms a projection set sufficient for reconstruction of an image of the object. | 07-23-2009 |
20090242573 | FOOD PLATE WITH STRUCTURE FOR ACCOMMODATING FORK TINES - An article including a food plate including a surface for placing food thereon, the surface including an orderly series of protrusions spaced from one another, wherein a spacing between adjacent protrusions equals a distance between tines of a fork. | 10-01-2009 |
20100127192 | ATTENUATOR SYSTEM FOR BEAM MODULATION - An attenuator system for attenuating a radiation beam, including a first attenuating element placed in a path of a radiation beam for attenuation thereof, a second attenuating element placed distal to the first attenuating element for further attenuation of the radiation beam, a first positioner operatively connected to the first attenuating element, which moves the first attenuating element along a first direction, a first processor operatively connected to the first positioner for controlling motion of the first attenuating element, a second positioner operatively connected to the second attenuating element, which moves the second attenuating element along a second direction, and a second processor operatively connected to the second positioner for controlling motion of the second attenuating element, wherein a two-dimensional attenuation distribution of the first attenuating element varies linearly with respect to at least one coordinate. | 05-27-2010 |
20100174172 | MRI SYSTEM FOR UPRIGHT RADIOTHERAPY - An image-guided radiotherapy system including a magnet assembly operable to produce a horizontal imaging field in an imaging region, and a non-imaging field in a non-imaging region, a positioner operable to rotate an object in the imaging region about a generally vertical rotational axis, a magnetic resonance (MR) imager in communication with the horizontal imaging field, a collimator operable to collimate a generally horizontal radiation beam directed towards the object, and a radiation source operable to produce a radiation beam of charged particles substantially parallel to the non-imaging field in the non-imaging region. | 07-08-2010 |
20100252561 | FOOD PLATE WITH STRUCTURE FOR ACCOMMODATING FORK TINES - An article including a food plate including a plurality of slender elements spanning over a surface for placing food thereon, wherein ends of the slender elements are supported in a frame and wherein adjacent slender elements are movable laterally with respect to one another so as to accommodate various fork tine spacings. | 10-07-2010 |
20100260319 | STEREOTACTIC RADIOTHERAPY WITH ROTATING ATTENUATOR - A radiotherapy system including a radiation source operable to produce a radiation beam towards a target, an orientation changer operable to change a relative position of the radiation source with respect to the target, and a multileaf attenuator including attenuating leaves including respective spatially varying attenuation properties and a positioner in communication with the orientation changer, each of the attenuating leaves having a leaf length, leaf thickness, leaf center and leaf direction, wherein the leaf direction is a line intersecting the leaf center along the leaf thickness, wherein the radiation beam includes one or more beam segments, wherein a beam segment is the part of the beam intercepted by one of the attenuating leaves, and wherein the target includes one or more target segments, wherein a target segment is that part of the target that intercepts a corresponding one of the beam segments, wherein each of the attenuating leaves is operative to modulate an intensity of a corresponding beam segment by selective attenuation of the leaf thickness along the leaf length, and wherein the positioner is operable to vary at least one of a leaf center position and a leaf direction relative to the radiation source in accordance with positions of the corresponding target segment and the radiation source. | 10-14-2010 |
20100272237 | NON-RECUMBENT RADIOTHERAPY - A method for radiotherapy of a non-recumbent patient, including immobilizing a region containing a target determining a spatial position of the target in a non-recumbent treatment position by applying a formula to images acquired by recumbent-only imaging in a recumbent position and by general imaging in a non-recumbent position, the formula calculating the non-recumbent treatment position as a function of the target position relative to anatomical and/or other markers as calculated from recumbent-only imaging, and the position of the markers relative to a treatment device as calculated from general imaging in the non-recumbent position, positioning the patient for treatment in the non-recumbent treatment position according to the markers' position, and irradiating the target with a radiation beam while the target is in the non-recumbent treatment position. | 10-28-2010 |
20110007868 | SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR BREAST IRRADIATION - A support system for breast irradiation including a turntable for supporting and rotating a patient about a generally vertical rotational axis, a body-leaning support for supporting the patient leaning thereupon throughout rotation of the patient about the vertical rotational axis, and a radiation shield arranged for shielding non-breast anatomy of the patient from stray radiation, wherein the body-leaning support and the radiation shield are separated from each other by a gap in which breasts of the patient are placeable for irradiation by a horizontal radiation beam. | 01-13-2011 |
20110047701 | UPRIGHT RADIATION TISSUE IMMOBILIZER - A system for immobilizing tissue during upright radiotherapy including a first support element and a second support element tilted with respect to each other and operative to apply pressure on opposite sides of a patient positioned therebetween so as to generally immobilize a target located in the patient, the first and second support elements being mounted on mounting members that are connected to a turntable operative to rotate the patient about a vertical rotational axis. | 03-03-2011 |
20110204260 | VARIABLE SPATIAL BEAM MODULATOR - For use with an irradiation system including a radiation source operable to produce a radiation beam towards a target, a beam modulator including a flexible, deformable container at least partially filled with a radiation attenuating fluid, a non-deformable first contacting surface in contact with a first portion of the container, the first contacting surface pivotable about a first axis, and a positioner operable to rotate the first contacting surface about the first axis, wherein as the first contacting surface rotates about the first axis, the first contacting surface deforms the container. | 08-25-2011 |
20110237984 | DYNAMIC SYSTEM FOR SHOCKWAVE TREATMENT - A dynamic system for shockwave treatment including a shockwave source operative to produce shockwaves that propagate along a shockwave axis, an imaging beam source attached to the shockwave source, operable to emit an imaging beam along a beam axis, the shockwave source and the imaging beam source forming an assembly, an imaging detector operative to receive the imaging beam and generate signals thereby for processing into an image, and a positioner coupled to the assembly operative to position the assembly at a desired position and attitude in three-dimensional space, wherein said shockwave source is movable along the shockwave axis relative to the imaging beam source. | 09-29-2011 |
20120008743 | CASCADED MODULATION SYSTEM - A modulation system for modulating a radiation beam, including a plurality of cascaded modulators, a positioner operable to change positions of each of the modulators between in-beam and out-of-beam positions, wherein in the in-beam position the modulator is in a path of a radiation beam for at least a majority of a total cross-section of the beam and in the out-beam position the modulator is not in the path of the radiation beam, and a processor in communication with a beam modifier and with the positioner operative to determine operating times or motion speed for changing the respective positions of the modulators between the in-beam and out-of-beam positions, wherein the beam modifier is operable to change during irradiation an aperture of the radiation beam and the positioner is operative to change during irradiation a relative position of the target and the radiation beam. | 01-12-2012 |
20120119120 | PHYSICAL WEDGE POSITIONING - A method for modulating a radiation beam toward a target, including rotating a radiation beam gantry through an arc segment while irradiating a target with a radiation beam, placing a physical wedge in a beam path of the radiation beam to modify at least one of a beam aperture and a beam intensity of the radiation beam while rotating through the arc segment, and modifying at least one of a wedge angle and a wedge orientation of the physical wedge during a temporal increment associated with the arc segment. | 05-17-2012 |
20120155611 | ADEQUATE CLEARANCE FOR GANTRY TRAJECTORY - A method including irradiating a target, which is located in a patient supported by a movable table, with a radiation beam emanating from a radiation source located in a movable gantry, and positioning the gantry and the table so as to maintain adequate clearance, wherein a clearance is defined as a distance between the gantry and the patient or the table, whichever is smaller, and wherein adequate clearance is defined as a clearance that alleviates a risk of a collision between the gantry and the patient or the table during movement of the gantry. | 06-21-2012 |
20120157891 | THERMAL AND PRESSURE WAVE TREATMENT - A method including directing pressure waves at a tissue, and heating the tissue with thermal energy pulses, the thermal energy pulses synchronized to arrive at the tissue simultaneously with the pressure waves within a time tolerance range, and wherein heat of each thermal energy pulse is significantly dissipated in an environment that includes the tissue before a subsequent thermal energy pulse arrives at the tissue. | 06-21-2012 |
20140110604 | MODULATING INTENSITY OF RADIATION BEAM - A modulator for use in a radiation system with directional radiation beams respectively collimated into radiation fields, including a plurality of displaceable radiation attenuating elements arranged in at least one row, the radiation attenuating elements being configured to attenuate portions of a radiation beam inside the radiation field according the position of the radiation attenuating elements, and wherein each radiation attenuating element is respectively attached to a substantially radiolucent member, and a driver operable to store motion profiles and to respectively drive the radiation attenuating elements in directions generally perpendicular to the radiation beam via the substantially radiolucent members, wherein the respective motions of the radiation attenuating elements are according to corresponding motion profiles, and wherein a motion profile relates position and/or velocity of the radiation attenuating elements to time and/or irradiation level. | 04-24-2014 |
20140221877 | PRESSURE-ASSISTED IRREVERSIBLE ELECTROPORATION - A method for pressure-assisted irreversible electroporation of tissue cells, including placing one or more electrodes near tissue cells to be treated, positioning a pressure source operable to apply pressure pulses to the tissue cells, and applying to the tissue cells a combination of electrical pulses through the one or more electrodes and pressure pulses from the pressure source such that the combination is sufficient to induce irreversible electroporation of the tissue cells, and wherein the electrical pulses without the pressure pulses are insufficient to induce irreversible electroporation of the tissue cells. | 08-07-2014 |
20140239198 | EXTERNAL BEAM RADIATION THERAPY FOR A PLURALITY OF COMPARTMENTS - An external beam radiation therapy system including a plurality of compartments separated from one another by radiation shields, each of the compartments including a patient support system that includes a support member and a fixation member for supporting and spatially fixing a target portion of the patient for irradiation thereof, and a radiation source housing including at least one radiation source operable to emit radiation beams into the compartments towards the target portion in each of the compartments, wherein each of the compartments includes a beam shaper for shaping the radiation beams emitted into that compartment, and wherein the radiation shields are configured to provide adequate shielding in each compartment, in accordance with a safety standard, against radiation produced in other compartments. | 08-28-2014 |
20140321605 | CONE BEAM CT SCANNING - A CBCT system is described that includes a radiation source for emitting a cone beam of radiation in a beam direction towards an object, a detector for detecting the cone beam of radiation, and a positioner for moving the radiation source and the object according to a scanning trajectory. The system is operated according to a sampling pattern that includes intersections of the scanning trajectory and a reconstruction trajectory, wherein motion of the radiation source is substantially confined to a spherical shell. The positioner moves the radiation source at a speed higher than a highest speed of the object by a factor of at least 10. The largest angular discrepancy between any vector in a range of the scanning trajectory and the nearest sample of the scanning trajectory does not exceed 10°, preferably 6° and more preferably 3°. | 10-30-2014 |
20150065776 | INCREASED RADIOTHERAPY PATIENT THROUGHPUT - A system and method for radiotherapy patient throughput is described. The system includes carts for supporting and moving patients between stations. A mounting and immobilization station allows mounting and immobilizing the patients on the carts. A registration station produces imaging data related to the patients. A waiting station provides waiting space for the carts. A treatment station irradiates the patients on the carts according to a treatment plan. A dismounting station allows releasing and dismounting the patients from the carts. | 03-05-2015 |
20150073311 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR TREATING PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH BONE AND MUSCULOSKELETAL ENVIRONMENTS - Apparatus includes a treatment bag configured to at least partially encapsulate a body portion to be treated, the treatment bag being generally leak-proof and transparent to acoustic waves and at least partially filled with a shockwave transmission liquid. An acoustic wave device includes a transducer operative to generate acoustic waves. A focusing device focuses the acoustic waves toward a focus. The acoustic wave device is placed near or against the treatment bag and arranged with respect to a target in the body portion, which it is desired to treat, so that the acoustic waves generated by the transducer propagate towards the focus via the shockwave transmission liquid in the bag. | 03-12-2015 |
20150073312 | LOW INTENSITY SHOCKWAVE TREATMENT - A low intensity shockwaves (LISW) system includes a support surface for a patient to sit upon, a shockwave generating device including focusing apparatus operative to focus shockwaves generated by the shockwave generating device to a target, and an organ interface member on the support surface operative to direct the shockwaves to a peritoneum or penile shaft of the patient when the patient sits upon the support surface. | 03-12-2015 |