KR100740341B1 - Motion traceable radiation therapy system - Google Patents

Abstract

A motion traceable radiation therapy system is provided to trace a motion of a certain part of the organ from an abdominal motion according to a patient's respiration, and to apply a therapeutic radiation to the certain part effectively, thereby improving therapy efficiency. The system includes: a first irradiation device(11) for applying a diagnostic radiation; a second irradiation device(12) for applying a therapeutic radiation; an organ position tracing device(13) for tracing a position displacement of a certain part of the organ according to respiration from a position displacement of a certain part of the abdomen according to respiration of a patient during diagnosis; a third camera(37) taking a photograph of a patient's abdomen by being installed around the second irradiation device; a therapeutic computer processing device(50a); and a radiation opening and closing device(15) for selectively blocking a radiation proceed path from the second irradiation device to a patient's certain part.

Description

Motion traceable radiation therapy system

1 is a view for explaining a method of determining the area to be irradiated to the treatment area of the patient in general.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a motion tracking radiation treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a view showing the arrangement of the first radiation irradiation device, the visible light generating means, the first camera and the second camera in the motion tracking radiation treatment apparatus shown in FIG.

4 is a view showing the arrangement of the second radiation irradiation device, the radiation switching device and the third camera in the motion tracking radiation treatment apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of the long-term motion reproducing apparatus shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a frame assembly portion in the long-term motion reproducing apparatus shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the part shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII shown in FIG.

9 and 10 are conceptual views for verifying the irradiation degree of the motion tracking radiation treatment apparatus using the long-term motion reproducing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of a radiation switching device in the motion tracking radiation treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of the radiation switching device installed at the portion "A" shown in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a view seen from the Z direction shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 is a view of the state in which the gate is moved to the open position in FIG.

FIG. 15 is a view of the state in which the gate is moved to the open position in FIG.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10 ... Motion Tracking Radiation Therapy

11.First radiation irradiation device

12 ... 2nd radiation irradiation device

13.Long-term position tracking device

14.Long-term motion reproducing device

15 Radiation switchgear 30 Visible light generating means

31.Sensing screen 32.Phosphor plate

33.Reflective mirror 35 ... First camera

36.2nd camera 40 ... 1st signal converter

Diagnosis computer processing unit 51 ... 1st display unit

52 ... first input unit 53 ... first control unit

54 Storage unit 50a ...

51a ... second display unit 52a ... second input unit

53a ... 2nd control part 54a ... 2nd storage part

55 Motor control 56 Frame

57 ... sliding member 58 ... moving member

60 ... 1st servo motor 62 ... 2nd servo motor

70 ... opening and closing part 72 ... support member

74 ... Gate 1 75 ... Gate 2

76 ... 3rd Servo Motor 77 ... 4th Servo Motor

80 ... gating control unit 500 ... frame assembly

540 ... first control signal generator 540a ... second control signal generator

550,551 ... rail 601,602 ... ballscrew

650,651 Ball nuts 721,722 Guide rails

X ... first direction Y ... second direction

The present invention relates to a motion tracking radiation therapy device for accurately and effectively radiating radiation to a patient's treatment site in consideration of continuous movement of organs during radiation therapy such as gastric cancer and lung cancer. The present invention relates to a motion tracking radiation therapy apparatus capable of precisely irradiating radiation to a desired portion by tracking a change in position of a specific part of the circuit over time.

Modern people living in a complicated society have been unable to maintain their health due to many stresses and irregular meals. In particular, these modern people are most likely to be malignant tumors, or cancer deaths. The incidence of cancer is also increasing socially, and national measures are urgently needed. Accordingly, treatment methods such as cancer are also of major interest, and in particular, the importance of radiation therapy is emphasized.

Successful radiation therapy for tumors in cancerous areas requires two important factors. First, the location of the radiation to be irradiated to the tumor must be accurate, and second, the planned dose and the actual dose should be consistent.

In general, in making a radiotherapy plan, as shown in FIG. 1, a planning target volume (PTV) is obtained in consideration of various errors. The PTV 1 means an area for actually irradiating the treatment area of the patient. As shown in FIG. 1, in order to determine the PTV 1, first, a gross tumor volume (GTV) is determined in consideration of the position and size of a tumor such as cancer. Then, considering the suspected tumor around the GTV (2), the clinical target volume (CTV), which is the area to be treated, is determined. In theory, it is ideal that radiation is irradiated only to the CTV 3. However, in reality, there is a problem that the CTV 3 moves according to the breathing of the patient. Therefore, the PTV 1 is determined in consideration of this point. The most ideal treatment is to make the CTV 3 and PTV 1 the same.

However, in reality, since the position of the internal organs changes with time according to the breathing of the patient, it is not easy to irradiate exactly the position to be treated.

Therefore, various displacement errors must be reduced for accurate radiotherapy of tumors. Displacement errors related to the patient's body can be classified into three types. The types are classified into posture-related long-term movement errors, interfraction long-term movement errors, and internal fractional long-term movement errors.

Posture-related organ movement errors change the position of internal organs according to the position of the person standing or lying down when the patient is treated. Posture-related long-term movement errors can be eliminated by planning and taking care of the patient's posture, such as when planning a treatment position, and then planning the position.

Inter-fractional long-term movement error is caused by the movement of internal organs, and the position of the organs and surrounding organs changes according to the degree of filling of the bladder, the filling of the rectum, or the degree of filling of the stomach. Such interfraction long-term movement errors can be eliminated by making the patient's condition the same during treatment planning and treatment.

Internal fractional organ movement error is the change in the position of the organ and its surrounding organs due to breathing or heartbeat. In particular, the change of position of the corresponding organs by breathing is a problem. In order to eliminate such internal fractional long-term movement error, it is necessary to track and treat the internal organ movement following the breathing.

Until now, radiation location verification has been done using the relative position of bones for errors such as system mismatches, errors in patient location settings, and patient movement during treatment. Movement errors have been treated with treatment margins. The reason is that the energy of therapeutic radiation is so strong that it is impossible to image non-dense body parts such as organs using therapeutic radiation. Therefore, it is almost impossible to verify the state of the organ during treatment in real time using therapeutic radiographic images.

For this reason, there is a limit in performing radiation treatment on tumors such as major organs, or treatment efficiency is not high due to side effects due to unnecessary irradiation. As such, efforts were made to reduce the displacement margin caused by respiratory movements by synchronizing the irradiation of therapeutic radiation according to the patient's respiration in an effort to reduce the treatment margin for internal fractional long-term movement errors caused by respiration. In particular, there is a real-time positioning management method (RPM). This method matches the radiation area with the movement of the tumor to be treated. This method detects the target location of a patient's tumor or organ in real time, and simultaneously detects the external movement of the patient and analyzes the correlation, and estimates the location of the internal organ and performs radiation therapy at that location. The success of this method depends on how accurate the timing of the movement of internal organs by breathing can be tracked. There is also a need for a device for accurately radiating radiation to tracked locations. However, in the related art, there has been a problem that an effective motion tracking radiation therapy apparatus has not been developed in this regard.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, the movement of the specific part of the internal organs from the movement of the abdomen according to the breathing of the patient, the movement tracking to be able to effectively irradiate the therapeutic radiation to the specific part It is an object to provide a radiation therapy apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, a motion tracking radiation therapy apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a first radiation irradiation device for radiating diagnostic radiation;

A second radiation irradiation device for irradiating therapeutic radiation;

A long-term position tracking device for tracking the positional displacement of a specific part of the internal organs according to the patient's breathing from the positional displacement of a specific part of the abdomen according to the breathing of the patient under diagnosis;

A third camera installed around the second radiation irradiation device to photograph the abdomen of the patient;

Converts the image photographed by the third camera into a digital image signal, displays a digital image formed by the converted digital image signal on a screen, and displays position displacement data according to a time change of a specific part selected from the image. A treatment computer processing device for generating and storing the created position displacement data and the digital image; And

On the basis of the data obtained from the long-term position tracking device and the positional displacement of the specific part of the abdomen of the patient under treatment through the third camera and the therapeutic computer processing device, the data of the abdomen of the patient is determined. Only when the portion is in the set position, the radiation from the second radiation irradiation apparatus toward the specific portion of the patient so that the radiation irradiated from the second radiation irradiation apparatus is irradiated to the specific portion of the internal organ of the patient. A radiation switching device for selectively blocking a path; There is a feature in that it includes.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a motion tracking radiation treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a first radiation irradiation apparatus, visible light generating means, and first camera in the motion tracking radiation treatment apparatus shown in FIG. And FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of a second camera, and FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of a second radiation irradiation device, a radiation switching device, and a third camera in the motion tracking radiation treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is FIG. Figure 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of the long-term motion reproducing apparatus shown in Figure 6, Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view of the frame assembly portion in the long-term motion reproducing apparatus shown in Figure 5, Figure 7 is a plan view of the portion shown in Figure 6, Figure 8 7 is a cross-sectional view of the VIII-VIII line, and FIGS. 9 and 10 are dogs measured to verify the irradiation degree of the motion tracking radiation treatment apparatus using the long-term motion reproducing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of a radiation switchgear in the motion tracking radiation treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of the radiation switchgear installed at the portion “A” shown in FIG. 12 is a view seen in the Z direction shown in FIG. 12, FIG. 14 is a view of the state in which the gate is moved to the open position in FIG. 12, and FIG.

2 to 15, the motion tracking radiation treatment apparatus 10 of the present embodiment includes a first radiation irradiation apparatus 11, a second radiation irradiation apparatus 12, a long term position tracking apparatus 13, and radiation. An opening and closing device 15, a third camera 37, and a treatment computer processing device 50a are included.

The first radiation irradiation device 11 is a device for irradiating diagnostic radiation to the treatment site of the patient. The first radiation irradiation device 11 is a device for generating diagnostic radiation by using the hot electrons from the filament to irradiate the site of treatment of the patient, which is mainly used in physics or medicine, and its structure and principle are well known, The description will be omitted.

The second radiation irradiation device 12 is a device for irradiating the therapeutic radiation to the treatment area of the patient. The second radiation irradiation device 12 includes a linear accelerator which obtains high energy by driving electrons from the electron gun in a straight line in an acceleration tube using ultra-high frequency generated from a magnetron, and uses radiation with electrons having high energy. As a device for generating and irradiating to a treatment site of a patient, it is mainly used in physics or medicine, and its structure and principle are well known, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The long-term position tracking device 13 is visible light generating means 30, the first camera 35, the second camera 36, the first signal conversion unit 40, the diagnostic computer processing device 50 And a long-term motion reproducing apparatus 14.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the visible light generating means 30 includes an incident screen 31, a visible light generating unit 32, and a reflection mirror 33. The incident screen 31 is a portion through which the diagnostic radiation irradiated from the first radiation irradiation device 11 passes through the human body. The visible light generator 32 is disposed below the incident screen 31. The visible light generating unit 32 is a portion in which visible light is generated by radiation incident on the incident screen 31. The reflection mirror 33 is provided to change the direction so that the light generated by the visible light generator 32 is incident on the first camera 35. The reflection mirror 33 is disposed to be inclined with respect to the visible light generating unit 32. The first camera 35 is provided for capturing an image formed by the visible light of which the direction is changed through the reflection mirror 33. Since the detailed structure is the same as that of a known video camera, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. .

The second camera 36 is provided to photograph an image in which a specific part of the abdomen of the patient changes according to breathing. As shown in FIG. 3, the second camera 36 may be appropriately disposed around the first radiation irradiation device 11 to capture a specific part of the abdomen of the patient. The second camera 36 may mark a portion to be photographed with a signature pen or a separate marker so that a specific portion of the abdomen of the patient may be well distinguished.

The analog image photographed by the first camera 35 and the second camera 36 may be stored in a separate recording medium (not shown) for use as needed.

The third camera 37 may be appropriately disposed around the second radiation irradiation device 12 so as to play the same role as the second camera 36 to photograph a specific part of the abdomen of the patient.

The first signal converter 40 is provided to convert the analog image photographed by the first camera 35 and the second camera 36 into digital image signals, respectively. Since the first signal converter 40 is a kind of well-known A / D converter, a detailed description of its structure or function will be omitted. The first signal conversion unit 40 may process the image by the first camera 35 and the image by the second camera 36 by one conversion board, and the first camera as necessary. A separate conversion board may be combined to convert the image by 35 and the image by the second camera 36 into digital image signals, respectively.

The diagnostic computer processing apparatus 50 includes a first display unit 51, a first input unit 52, a first control unit 53, and a first storage unit 54.

The first display unit 51 is provided to display a digital image formed by each of the digital image signals converted by the first signal converter 40 on a screen.

The first input unit 52 is provided to select a position of a specific portion of the digital image displayed on the first display unit 51. In this embodiment, a mouse is used.

The first control unit 53 tracks the positional displacement data according to the time change of the position of the specific part of the digital image of the abdomen or internal organ of the patient selected by the mouse over time to create the positional displacement data. It is prepared. The process of creating the positional displacement data will be described in more detail as follows.

The first controller 53 sets a scale of an image displayed on the first display unit 51 to be selected by the mouse, and then includes a predetermined size including a specific portion selected by the mouse from the input digital image. Obtain a reference template of. Then, at a certain time, that is, in the present embodiment, the image is compared with the reference template by moving the reference template at the same position as that of the reference template in the new digital image input after 1/30 second. Search for and find. The corresponding position is stored in the first storage unit 54, which will be described later, and then a movable template having the same size as the reference template is obtained based on the position. Thereafter, the movable template is set as the reference template. In addition, the process of acquiring a new mobile template again at a position consistent with the new reference template after a predetermined time, that is, 1/30 seconds, is repeated for the newly set reference template. It contains an algorithm that writes to be repeated in 1/30 seconds. By such an algorithm, the positional displacement data of the specific part selected by the mouse can be tracked.

On the other hand, the position displacement data of the specific part of the patient's internal organs obtained from the first camera 35 and the position displacement data of the specific part of the abdomen of the patient obtained from the second camera 36 are closely correlated with the breathing of the patient. Have In other words, it is well known from experience that the movements of the abdomen and the internal organs of the patient due to respiration are very similar in tendency. That is, because the abdominal organs and organs move in response to the volume change of the lungs caused by the inhalation of the patient's lungs or the air discharged from the patient's lungs, the positional displacement of the abdomen and the organal displacement are closely related. Will be. Therefore, the positional displacement data of the specific part of the abdomen and the positional displacement data of the specific part of the organ have a time-related functional relationship. As a result, if the functional relationship between the abdominal movement of the patient and the movement of the internal organs is grasped, the movement of the internal organs of the patient can be estimated even if only the abdominal movement of the patient is tracked. Such correlation and position displacement data of a specific part of the abdomen of the patient obtained from the third camera 37 directly affect the operation of the second radiation irradiation device 12, which is a therapeutic radiation irradiation described later. The first controller 53 includes an algorithm capable of estimating the correlation between the abdomen and the movement of the internal organs as described above. Such positional displacement data can be useful for planning treatment of patients.

The first storage unit 54 stores the digital image converted by the signal converter 40 while storing the positional displacement data and the analyzed data of a specific portion created by the first controller 53. It performs the function. The digital image or data stored in the first storage unit 54 may be displayed on the first display unit 51 as necessary, or may be transmitted through an appropriate transmission means for use in the next step.

The first control unit 53 and the first storage unit 54 may generate a control signal for driving the long-term motion reproducing apparatus 14 to be described later or for generating a control signal for driving the radiation switching device 15 to be described later. Since the basic data is provided, these 53 and 54 are collectively referred to as a first control signal generator 540.

The long-term motion reproducing apparatus 14 is a frame assembly composed of a frame frame 56, a sliding member 57, a moving member 58, a first servo motor 60, and a second servo motor 62. 500 and a motor control unit 55 are included.

The frame 56 is provided to install a sliding member 57 to be described later. The frame 56 is made of a metal material such as aluminum alloy. However, the material is not limited to metal, and when used in a device such as computer tomography (CT), a material such as acrylic, which is not affected by electromagnetic waves, is used. The first servo motor 60 is fixed to the frame 56.

The sliding member 57 is installed to be movable in one direction with respect to the frame 56. As shown in FIG. 6, the sliding member 57 is provided to slide with respect to the frame 56 in the first direction X along the rail 550 on the frame 56. The first servo motor 60 is formed by the ball screw 601 and the ball nut 650 mechanism which are widely used for converting the rotational motion into the linear motion in this embodiment. It is connected dynamically with That is, the ball screw 601 is fixed to the rotation shaft of the first servo motor 60, and the ball nut 650 screwed to the ball screw 601 is fixed to the sliding member 57, the first servo The ball screw 601 rotates when the motor 60 rotates so that the sliding member 57 fixed to the ball nut 650 slides in the first direction X. As shown in FIG. On the other hand, instead of the ball screw 601 and the ball nut 650 mechanism, a known rack and pinion mechanism may be employed.

The second servo motor 62 is disposed in a direction perpendicular to the first servo motor 60 and fixed to the sliding member 57.

The movable member 58 is slidably coupled to the sliding member 57 in the second direction Y along the rail 551 as shown in FIG. 6. The moving member 58 has a form in which the center part is empty so that the radiation irradiated from the radiation irradiation device can be irradiated and transmitted. An acrylic plate or the like may be mounted on the central portion so as to place a sensor such as a film. The first direction X and the second direction Y are perpendicular to each other. Therefore, the movable member 58 is arranged to allow two-dimensional movement with respect to the frame 56 via the sliding member 57. In the central space of the moving member 58, a radiation measuring means such as, for example, a radiation film P, which can measure a region through which radiation irradiated by the radiation irradiation device is transmitted and a degree of radiation transmission in the region, is disposed. Can be. The moving member 58 is dynamically connected to the second servo motor 62. In the present embodiment, the moving member and the second servo motor are also connected to the sliding member and the first servo. Like the motor-connected means between the motors, there are ball screws 601 and ball nuts 650.

The motor controller 55 is provided to generate a driving signal for controlling the first servo motor 60 and the second servo motor 62. That is, the motor control unit 55 is the position displacement data of the specific portion of the organ created by the long-term position tracking device shown in Figure 2, that is, the specification of the internal organs of the patient received from the first control signal generator 540 Based on the positional displacement data of the portion, and receiving the positional displacement data, the movable member 58 reproduces the positional displacement of the specific portion of the organ so that the radiation irradiated from the radiation irradiation device is moved to the movable member 58. In order to confirm whether the irradiation to the desired position on the image, it is to function to generate a signal for driving the servomotor.

The therapeutic computer processing apparatus 50a includes a second signal converter 40a, a second display unit 51a, a second input unit 52a, a second control unit 53a, and a second storage unit ( 54a).

The second signal converter 40a is provided to convert the analog image photographed by the third camera 37 into digital image signals, respectively. Since the second signal converter 40a is a kind of well-known A / D converter, a detailed description of its structure or function, like the first signal converter 40, will be omitted.

The second display unit 51a is provided to display a digital image formed by the digital image signal converted by the second signal converter 40a on a screen.

The second input unit 52a is provided to select a position of a specific portion of the digital image displayed on the second display unit 51a. In this embodiment, a mouse is used.

The second control unit 53a is configured to track the positional displacement data according to the time change of the position of the specific portion of the digital image of the abdomen of the patient selected by the mouse over time to create the positional displacement data. The process of creating the positional displacement data will be described in more detail as follows.

The second controller 53a sets a scale of the image displayed on the second display unit 51a to be selected by the mouse, and then includes a predetermined size including a specific portion selected by the mouse from the input digital image. Obtain a reference template of. Then, in this embodiment, in this embodiment, 1/30 second has elapsed, the image is compared with the reference template by moving the reference template at the same position as the position of the reference template in the new digital image. Search for a location to find it. The coincidence position is stored in the second storage unit 54a, which will be described later, and then a movable mold having the same size as the reference template is obtained based on the position. Thereafter, the movable template is set as the reference template. In addition, the process of acquiring a new mobile template again at a position consistent with the new reference template after a predetermined time, that is, 1/30 seconds, is repeated for the newly set reference template. It contains an algorithm that writes to be repeated in 1/30 seconds. By such an algorithm, the positional displacement data of the specific part selected by the mouse can be tracked. As described above, the second control unit 53a tracks the positional change of the specific part of the abdomen of the patient to be treated, and thus, the correlation between the movement of the abdomen and the internal organs obtained by the organ tracking device 13 is determined. Allows you to track changes in the location of certain parts of your internal organs.

The second storage unit 54a stores the digital image converted by the second signal converter 40a, while the position displacement data and the analyzed data of the specific portion created by the second control unit 53a. Performs the function of saving it. The digital image or data stored in the second storage unit 54a may be displayed on the second display unit 51a as necessary, or may be transmitted through an appropriate transmission means for use in the next step.

Since the second control unit 53a and the second storage unit 54a provide basic data for generating control signals for driving the radiation switching device 15 to be described later, the second control unit 53a and 54a may be integrated to perform the second control. The signal generator 540a is called.

The radiation opening and closing device 15 includes an opening and closing drive unit 70 and a gating control unit 80.

The opening and closing drive unit 70 includes a support member 72, a pair of gates 74 and 75, and a pair of servo motors 76 and 77.

The support member 72 is provided in the second radiation irradiation device 12 for irradiating therapeutic radiation. A pair of guide rails 721 and 722 are fixed to the support member 72. The support member 72 is provided with a radiation passing portion 725 through which radiation irradiated from the second radiation irradiation device 12 passes.

The pair of gates 74 and 75 are provided to be movable relative to the support member 72. The pair of gates 74 and 75 support the reciprocating movement between a blocking position for blocking a traveling path of radiation irradiated from the second radiation irradiation device 12 and an open position deviating from the traveling path of the radiation. It is provided in the member 72. The blocking position refers to a position where the pair of gates 74 and 75 are in contact with each other as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. That is, after the radiation irradiated from the second radiation irradiation device 12 passes through the radiation passing portion 725 provided in the support member 72, it is prevented from further progressing by the pair of gates 74 and 75. Says the location. The open position refers to a position where the pair of gates 74 and 75 are spaced apart to the maximum as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. That is, the pair of radiation so that the radiation irradiated from the radiation irradiation device 12 can pass between the pair of gates 74 and 75 through the radiation passing portion 725 provided in the support member 72. The positions of the gates 74 and 75 are spaced apart from each other. The pair of gates 74 and 75 is made of a tungsten material having excellent radiation blocking performance. The pair of gates 74 and 75 may include a first gate 74 and a second gate 75 that are movably disposed in a direction in which the pair of gates 74 and 75 is approached and spaced apart from each other. The first gate 74 is slidably installed along the guide rail 721 fixed to the support member 72. The second gate 75 is slidably installed along the guide rail 722 which is fixed to the support member 72.

The pair of servo motors 76 and 77 includes a third servo motor 76 and a fourth servo motor 77. The third servo motor 76 is fixed to the support member 72. The third servo motor 76 is provided to reciprocate the first gate 74 with respect to the support member 72, and the fourth servo motor 77 moves the second gate 75 to the It is provided to reciprocate relative to the support member (72). The third servo motor 76 and the first gate 74 are connected by a ball screw 602 and a ball nut 651 which are widely known as one of various means for converting rotational motion into linear motion. have. Therefore, as the third servo motor 76 rotates, the first gate 74 reciprocates with respect to the support member 72 along the guide rail 721. The fourth servo motor 77 is fixed to the support member 72. The fourth servo motor 77 and the second gate 75 are powered by the ball screw 602 and the ball nut 651 like the third servo motor 76 and the first gate 74. It is connected.

The gating controller 80 generates a driving signal of the third servo motor 76 and the fourth servo motor 77 based on the data received from the second control signal generator 540a. It is intended to do. For example, the gating control unit 80 receives the position displacement data of the internal organs obtained by the long-term position tracking device 13 from the second control signal generation unit 540a, and the desired position of the specific part of the internal organs to be treated. The third servo motor 76 and the fourth servo motor 77 are driven to control the pair of gates 74 and 75 in the open position only while the third servo motor 76 and the fourth servo motor 77 are positioned. On the other hand, when the position of the internal organs of the patient deviates from the desired position, the third servo motor 76 and the fourth servo motor 77 is driven in reverse to block the pair of gates 74 and 75. Control to be located at

Hereinafter, the operation of the motion tracking radiation treatment apparatus 10 according to the present invention having such a structure will be described.

Correlate the movement of a specific part of the patient's abdomen with the movement of a particular part of the internal organ to be treated, and then, in actual treatment, follow a specific part of the patient's abdomen while radiating a specific part of the patient's internal organs The case of investigation will be described sequentially.

First, a case in which position displacement data according to respiration of a specific part of a patient's internal organs for treatment is tracked from the movement of a specific part of the abdomen of the patient using the organ position tracking device 13 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the patient is irradiated with diagnostic radiation through the first radiation irradiation device 11 while lying above the incident screen 31 of the long-term position tracking device 13. At this time, the intensity of the radiation irradiated by the first radiation irradiation device 11 was used for diagnostic radiation having a lower intensity than the radiation for treatment irradiated by the second radiation irradiation device 12. Diagnostic radiation irradiated by the first radiation irradiation device 11 is a difference in the transmission degree while passing through the human body of the patient, passing through the incident screen 31 is incident to the visible light generating unit 32 and visible light Will be generated. The visible light generated by the visible light generator 32 is changed in direction by a reflection mirror 33 disposed to be inclined with respect to the incident screen 31. The image formed by the visible light whose direction is changed by the reflection mirror 33 is incident on the lens of the first camera 35 and the image is captured. Meanwhile, the specific part of the abdomen of the patient is photographed by the second camera 36. The analog image captured by the first camera 35 and the analog image captured by the second camera 36 are 30 frames per second by the first signal converter 40 in real time, that is, 1/30. The digital images are converted into digital images at second intervals and input to the diagnostic computer processing apparatus 50. The first display unit 51 provided in the diagnostic computer processing apparatus 50 serves to display an image converted into a digital image signal by the first signal conversion unit 40, and the first input unit 52. By clicking the specific portion displayed on the first display unit 51 through a mouse provided as described above, the first control unit 53 tracks and writes the position displacement data of the specific portion by the algorithm described above. Position displacement data can be obtained according to. In this way, the movement of the internal organs of the patient is input by the first camera 35, the movement of the abdomen of the patient is input by the second camera 36, and the positional displacement over time is tracked to determine the position. Correlation between displacement data can be obtained. The position displacement data and the digital image thus obtained may be displayed through the first display unit 51, and may be stored in an appropriate recording medium or transmitted to a necessary place through a network or the like.

Such a long-term position tracking device 13 can detect the location of a specific part of the patient's internal organs while tracking only the abdominal movement according to the patient's breathing. In other words, knowing the position of a particular part of the abdomen of the patient, it is possible to know the location of the specific part of the internal organs associated with the position and time function.

On the other hand, based on the data obtained from the organ position tracking device, the organ motion reproducing apparatus 14 may perform a function of reproducing the movement of a specific part of the patient's internal organs. The long-term motion reproducing apparatus 14 may be usefully used to verify the setting of the equipment or the degree of treatment of radiation in the treatment plan for the patient as needed.

By using the long-term motion reproducing device 14 to reproduce the positional displacement of the specific part of the patient based on the positional displacement data according to the breathing of the specific part of the patient's internal organs for treatment whether the therapeutic radiation is irradiated to the desired position This section describes the process of verifying.

The radiation film P is mounted on the long-term motion reproducing apparatus 14 and disposed on the second radiation irradiating apparatus 12 to which therapeutic radiation is irradiated instead of the patient. Then, position displacement data of a specific part of the patient's internal organs obtained from the organ position tracking device 13 is input from the first control signal generator 540 to the motor controller 55. The motor control unit 55 receiving the position displacement data generates a signal for driving the first servo motor 60 and the second servo motor 62 based on the position displacement data, and the first servo motor ( 60 and the second servo motor 62 are driven. By the driving of the first servo motor 60, the sliding member 57 makes a linear movement in the first direction X as shown in FIG. 6 with respect to the frame 56. Accordingly, since the movable member 58 is installed so that relative movement is impossible with respect to the sliding member 57 in the first direction X, the movable member 58 has the same distance as that of the sliding member 57. Will be moved to). On the other hand, by the driving of the second servo motor 62, the moving member 58 is a linear movement in the second direction (Y) as shown in Figure 6 with respect to the sliding member (57). Accordingly, since the movable member 58 is installed to be movable relative to the sliding member 57 in the second direction Y, the movable member 58 is disposed in the second direction Y with respect to the sliding member 57. Will move. Accordingly, the position of the first direction X is determined by the sliding member 57, and the position of the second direction Y is determined by the moving member 58. As a result, the movable member 58 is changed in position on the two-dimensional plane with respect to the frame 56. The case where the moving member 58 is marked by appropriate means to identify the position to be irradiated with radiation and the radiation is irradiated to the position will be described. If the radiation is irradiated only when the movable member 58 is located at a specific position in consideration of the movement of the movable member 58, the radiation film P shows the trace of the radiation as if the movable member 58 is When in the stationary state, the irradiation area having a clear boundary line will be displayed as the area shown by hatching in FIG. 9 as the radiation is irradiated. However, when the radiation is irradiated when the movable member 58 is not at a specific position, the movable member 58 is shown in FIG. 10 in the radiation film P mounted on the movable member 58. A trace of the movement in the direction will be left, and the trace will result in the boundary line of the black portion indicated by the radiation area becoming unclear between the imaginary line and the solid line shown in FIG. Radiation switchgear for controlling the beam of the second radiation irradiation device 12 to irradiate radiation only to the treatment site by irradiating radiation only to a specific part in consideration of the movement of internal organs according to the respiration by this method There is an effect that the drive control of (15) can be determined.

As such, the motion tracking radiation treatment apparatus 10 verifies whether radiation is irradiated to a desired portion, and then enters the treatment of the actual patient, and in the treatment of the actual patient as in the treatment information obtained in the verification process. And dose can be applied. The process is as follows.

3, the patient is irradiated with the radiation through the second radiation irradiation device 12 while lying on the radiation path of the second radiation irradiation device 12 as shown in FIG. At this time, the radiation opening and closing device 15 is installed between the second radiation irradiation device 12 and the patient. When the treatment is started, the third camera 37 photographs the movement of a specific part of the abdomen of the patient, and the image data obtained therefrom is input to the organ position tracking device 13, and to the organ position tracking device 13. By this, the position of a specific part of the internal organ is estimated, and the data is input to the opening / closing driving part 70 of the radiation opening and closing device 15 via the second fish signal generating part 540a. In the second radiation irradiation device 12, therapeutic radiation is continuously irradiated to the treatment site of the patient. During this time, the treatment area of the patient is changed in position by the patient's breathing, and the reciprocating motion is performed at a certain displacement section. Although the radiation is continuously irradiated from the second radiation irradiation device 12, when the pair of gates 74 and 75 are in the blocking position as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the second radiation irradiation The radiation irradiated from the device 12 is blocked by the pair of gates 74 and 75 and does not reach the treatment area of the patient. On the other hand, when a drive signal is generated from the gating control unit 80 and the pair of gates 74 and 75 are located in the open position as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the second radiation irradiation device 12 The radiation irradiated from the light passes through the radiation passing portion 725 provided in the support member 72 and passes between the pair of gates 74 and 75 in a spaced state to reach the patient.

In the above case, the gating control unit 80 receives data about abdominal movement and correlation data between the abdominal movement and internal organ movement from the second control signal generator 540a in real time. The gating control unit 80 uses the received abdominal motion information and the correlation data between the abdominal motion and the internal organ motion so that the radiation is irradiated from the second radiation irradiation apparatus 12 at a specific position, that is, the treatment. The third servo motor 76 and the fourth servo motor 77 are driven at the instant of being positioned at the position that can be accurately irradiated to the site, so as to be dynamically connected to the servo motors 76 and 77. The pair of gates 74, 75 are positioned in the open position. Meanwhile, the gating controller 80 receives data about abdominal movement and correlation data between the abdominal movement and internal organ movement from the second control signal generator 540a in real time. The gating control unit 80 uses the received abdominal motion information and the correlation data between the abdominal motion and the internal organ motion so that the radiation is irradiated from the second radiation irradiation apparatus 12 at a specific position, that is, the treatment. The third servo motor (if the position that is out of the position that can be accurately irradiated to the site, that is, the radiation irradiated from the second radiation irradiation device 12 is located in the position that is out of the position that can be irradiated to the treatment site) 76 and the fourth servo motor 77 to send a drive signal so that the pair of gates 74 and 75 which are dynamically connected to the servo motors 76 and 77 are positioned at the blocking position. To prevent radiation from being irradiated.

As described above, the radiation switching device 15 can accurately irradiate only the portion requiring treatment, thereby drastically reducing the error between the PTV 1 and the CTV 3 described above with reference to FIG. 1. There is an effect that can be more precise and efficient radiation therapy.

As described above, the motion tracking radiation treatment apparatus 10 may track the movement of a specific part of the internal organs from the movement of a specific part of the abdomen according to the breathing of the patient and irradiate the therapeutic radiation to the desired amount of the area. It can be effective.

In the present embodiment, although the long-term motion reproducing apparatus 14 is illustrated and described, the object of the present invention can be achieved even if the long-term motion reproducing apparatus 14 is not included.

In the present embodiment, the acquisition interval of the templates is described as 30 frames per second, but the acquisition interval of the templates can be appropriately changed as necessary.

In the present embodiment, a correlation between two positional displacement data is prepared by analyzing a difference in time between the positional displacement data of the abdominal movement stored in the control signal generator and the positional displacement data of the internal organ movement. However, even if the correlation of the positional displacement data is not prepared, if the data can be analyzed by the user, even if the correlation is not created, it does not depart from the scope of the present invention.

In the present embodiment, the pair of gates 74 and 75 includes a third gate 74 and a fourth gate 75 movably disposed in a direction in which the pair of gates 74 and 75 are mutually approached and spaced apart. The servo motors 76 and 77 are fixed to the support member 72 and are fixed to the support member 72 and the third servo motor 76 which is dynamically connected to the third gate 74. Although illustrated and described as including a fourth servo motor 77 that is dynamically connected to the four gates 75, the gate and the servo motor may be provided one by one to achieve the object of the present invention.

In the present embodiment, the pair of gates 74 and 75 are described as being made of tungsten material, but the pair of gates 74 and 75 effectively open the radiation irradiated from the irradiation apparatus 12. Or if it can block, even if not limited to tungsten material can achieve the object of the present invention.

In the present embodiment, the third servo motor 76 and the third gate 74 and the fourth servo motor 77 and the fourth gate 75 between the dynamic connecting means is a ball screw (602). ) And the ball nut 651, but can be configured with various machine elements such as racks and pinions.

The present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various forms of embodiments may be embodied without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention.

As described above, in the motion tracking radiation treatment apparatus according to the present invention, by tracking only the abdominal movement of the patient by respiration, the movement of the internal organs of the patient can be estimated, so that the radiation treatment can be precisely performed at the desired area. Since it can be a burden on the patient to be treated, there is an effect to significantly improve the treatment efficiency.

Claims (12)

A first radiation irradiation device for radiating diagnostic radiation; A second radiation irradiation device for irradiating therapeutic radiation; A long-term position tracking device for tracking the positional displacement of a specific part of the internal organs according to the patient's breathing from the positional displacement of a specific part of the abdomen according to the breathing of the patient under diagnosis; A third camera installed around the second radiation irradiation device to photograph the abdomen of the patient; Converts the image photographed by the third camera into a digital image signal, displays a digital image formed by the converted digital image signal on a screen, and displays position displacement data according to a time change of a specific part selected from the image. A treatment computer processing device for generating and storing the created position displacement data and the digital image; And On the basis of the data obtained from the long-term position tracking device and the positional displacement of the specific part of the abdomen of the patient under treatment through the third camera and the therapeutic computer processing device, the data of the abdomen of the patient is determined. Only when the portion is in the set position, the path of the radiation from the second radiation irradiation apparatus toward the specific portion of the patient so that the radiation irradiated from the second radiation irradiation apparatus is irradiated to the specific portion of the internal organ of the patient. Radiation switch for selectively blocking the; Including; The long-term position tracking device, Visible light generating means for converting the radiation irradiated from the radiation device into visible light; A first camera for capturing an image formed by the visible light generated by the visible light generating means; A second camera installed to capture movement according to breathing of a specific part of the patient's abdomen; A first signal converter configured to convert the image photographed by the first camera and the image photographed by the second camera into digital image signals, respectively; And A first display unit for displaying a digital image formed by each digital image signal output from the first signal conversion unit on a screen, a first input unit for selecting a specific portion of an image displayed on the first display unit, and Diagnostic computer processing comprising a first control unit for generating positional displacement data according to a time change of the specific portion selected by the first input unit, and a first storage unit for storing the positional displacement data and the digital image created by the first control unit Device; Including; An organ motion reproducing apparatus which reproduces the positional displacement of a specific part of the internal organs based on the positional displacement data of the internal organs obtained from the diagnostic computer processing apparatus; Motion tracking radiation therapy device comprising a. delete The method of claim 1, The first input unit includes a mouse, The first control unit acquires a reference template having a size including a specific portion of the image displayed on the first display unit selected by the mouse, and searches for a position that matches the reference template in the newly input image after a predetermined time. After finding the location, save the location, obtain a moving template of the same size as the reference template from the location, set the moving template as a new reference template, and input the new template again after a certain time. And searching for and finding a location matching the new reference template in the captured image, storing the location, and repeating a process of acquiring a new moving template again from the location. The method of claim 1, The first controller compares a difference in position and time of position displacement data of abdominal movements stored in the first storage unit with position displacement data of internal organ movements to estimate internal organ movement according to abdominal movements. Algorithm that can; motion tracking radiation treatment device comprising a. delete The method of claim 1, The long-term motion reproducing apparatus, frame; A movable member installed to be movable with respect to the frame and irradiated with radiation generated from a radiation irradiation device; A servo motor for moving the moving member relative to the frame; And The moving member reproduces the positional displacement of the specific part of the organ based on the positional displacement data based on the positional displacement data based on the positional displacement data according to the movement of the organ by the patient's respiration. It is provided with a motor control unit for generating a signal for driving the servo motor, so that the irradiated radiation can be irradiated to a desired position on the moving member, The movable member is configured to reproduce the positional displacement of a specific part of the organ according to the movement of the organ by the patient's breathing, and to verify the radiation treatment plan of the patient in consideration of the displacement. . The method of claim 6, The movable member is coupled to the frame to be movable in one direction with respect to the frame, The servomotor is installed on the frame to move the moving member in the one direction with respect to the frame, the motion tracking radiation therapy device, characterized in that the movement member is connected to the moving member. The method of claim 6, A sliding member coupled to the frame to be movable in a first direction, the movable member being coupled to the sliding member to be movable in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction with respect to the sliding member, The servo motor may include a first servo motor installed in the frame to move the sliding member in the first direction with respect to the frame, and being electrically connected to the sliding member, and the moving member with respect to the sliding member. And a second servomotor installed on the sliding member to move in the second direction and being dynamically connected to the moving member. The method of claim 6, And the moving member includes a member made of acrylic resin in a central portion thereof. The method of claim 1, The radiation switchgear, A support member installed in the radiation irradiation device for irradiating radiation; A gate provided on the support member so as to reciprocate between a blocking position for blocking a traveling path of the radiation irradiated from the radiation irradiation device and an open position deviating from the traveling path of the radiation; A servo motor dynamically connected to the gate for reciprocating the gate; And A gating controller configured to receive data from the treatment computer processing apparatus and generate driving signals of the servomotor; Motion tracking radiation therapy device comprising a. The method of claim 10, The gate includes a first gate and a second gate movably disposed in a direction of mutual access and separation, The servo motor, And a third servomotor fixed to the support member and dynamically connected to the first gate, and a fourth servomotor fixed to the support member and dynamically connected to the second gate. Treatment device. The method of claim 10, The gate is a motion tracking radiation therapy device, characterized in that made of tungsten material.

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