TWI423787B - Radiotherapy assist system and displacement measuring method - Google Patents

Description

Radiation therapy assist system and displacement measurement method

The present invention relates to a displacement measuring device and method, and more particularly to a displacement measuring device and method applied to tissue. The invention also relates to a radiation therapy assist system.

Radiation therapy is an extremely important medical treatment for cancer and oncology. The main principle is to give the target individual a certain amount of radiation to directly or indirectly kill cancer cells or tumor cells through the energy released by the action. The purpose of the disease control. However, since the radiation acts on all cells indiscriminately, normal tissue is often accidentally injured during the treatment.

In order to avoid the above problems, the research and development of radiation therapy in recent years mostly focus on how to provide new technologies and accurately locate tumors. Among them, positioning technology is more attractive, mainly because of the relatively new technology, tumor localization has The development cost is relatively low, and it can match the characteristics of existing instruments and equipment, and can immediately provide the assistance required by medical personnel.

In general, tumor localization technology is most commonly applied to tumor radiotherapy in the chest and abdomen to solve the tumor displacement caused by the movement of the chest, the intra-abdominal organs or tissues due to the radiation, especially in lung cancer or liver cancer. This condition is more pronounced in patients, mainly because the location of the tumor is adjacent to the diaphragm, such as the tip of the lung or the upper edge of the liver, so that breathing is inevitably affected by the rise or fall of the diaphragm, and with the lungs. Displacement of the liver or liver affects the area where the medical personnel are fixed for radiation therapy, resulting in poor treatment or side effects on normal tissues. In addition, in addition to breathing, other physiological phenomena such as heartbeat, swallowing or gastrointestinal motility can also cause changes in the position or shape of the tumor.

Although conventional techniques have been used to reduce the error in treatment by means of inhibiting the above physiological phenomena, such mandatory practices often cause discomfort to the patient and, more importantly, the errors that can be reduced are rather limited. In addition, other alternatives that are clinically available include intermittent exposure or implantable tracking markers, but the former significantly affects the continuity of treatment, while the latter must perform invasive surgery on patients, and it is difficult to call it a good tumor localization technique. . More importantly, the above two methods still do not take the way of using optical technology to monitor the movement of tumor tissue, but under the influence of factors such as large tumor appearance and changes in physiological conditions of patients, there is naturally a considerable judgment error. Sex.

Therefore, how to provide a technique for measuring tissue displacement, which can replace optical monitoring in a manner of sensing force changes, overcomes the shortcomings of conventional means, and accurately measures tissue displacement under non-invasive conditions, thereby For example, assisted radiation therapy to reduce the safety margin and the incidence of side effects on normal tissues, while allowing to increase the dose of radiation, improve the therapeutic effect of cancer, has become an important topic of continuous concern in the field.

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a displacement measuring device, a method and a radiation therapy assisting system capable of replacing optical monitoring in a manner of sensing a change in force, overcoming the disadvantages of the conventional means, and in non-invasive Under the premise, the tissue displacement is accurately measured, for example, assisting radiation therapy to reduce the safety margin and the probability of causing side effects on normal tissues, while allowing an increase in the irradiation dose and improving the tumor treatment effect.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a displacement measuring device and method capable of accurately measuring a tissue displacement amount in a manner of sensing a change in force, thereby assisting a medical detection system to eliminate, for example, an image scanning or capturing process. Image artifacts due to normal physiological effects create models that are more realistic.

To achieve the above object, a displacement measuring device according to the present invention is applied to a tissue, and the displacement measuring device comprises a load member, a pressing member and a force sensing module. The pressing parts are directly or indirectly pressed against the tissue. The force sensing module has at least one force-responsive component, and the force-responsive component is disposed between the load component and the pressing component. When the tissue is displaced, the load member receives an external force, and the force sensing module calculates the displacement of the tissue by sensing the force response element. Preferably, the tissue is a tumor tissue or a cancer tissue.

In an embodiment of the invention, the force-responsive component is a resistive, capacitive or strain gauge force sensor.

In an embodiment of the invention, the force-responsive element is disposed below the load member.

In an embodiment of the invention, the force sensing module includes a strain member and a joint support member. The load member is coupled to one end of the strain member, and the connection support member is coupled to the other end of the strain member and the pressing member. The force-responsive element is disposed between the load member and the position at which the connection support member is coupled to the strain member.

In an embodiment of the invention, the load member is coupled to a fixture and the external force is provided by the fixture.

In an embodiment of the invention, the displacement measuring device further comprises a display module electrically connected to the force sensing module.

A radiation therapy assisting system according to the present invention includes a displacement measuring device having the aforementioned technical features, a supporting device, and a driving device. The support device supports a body. The driving device is coupled to the supporting device, and the driving device is driven to move the individual according to the displacement amount of the tissue measured by the displacement measuring device.

A displacement measurement method according to the present invention is applied to an organization. The tissue displacement measurement method is combined with a displacement measuring device. The displacement measuring device comprises a load member, a pressing member and a force sensing module. The force sensing module has at least one force-responsive component, and the force-responsive component is disposed between the load component and the pressing component. The displacement measuring method comprises the steps of: pressing the member directly or indirectly against the tissue; when the tissue is displaced, receiving an external force by the load member; and calculating the force response element by the force sensing module, calculating the tissue The amount of displacement. Preferably, the tissue is a tumor tissue or a cancer tissue.

In an embodiment of the invention, the force-responsive component is a resistive, capacitive or strain gauge force sensor.

In an embodiment of the invention, the force-responsive element is disposed below the load member.

In an embodiment of the invention, the force sensing module includes a strain member and a joint support member. The load member is coupled to one end of the strain member, and the connection support member is coupled to the other end of the strain member and the pressing member. The force-responsive element is disposed between the load member and the position at which the connection support member is coupled to the strain member.

In an embodiment of the invention, the load member is coupled to a fixture and the external force is provided by the fixture.

In an embodiment of the invention, the displacement measuring device further includes a display module electrically connected to the force sensing module. The displacement measurement method further includes the steps of: displaying the data of the force sensing module sensing the force response component on the display module.

According to the above description, a displacement measuring device and method according to the present invention can sense the change of the force generated by the displacement of the corresponding target tissue through the setting of the force sensing module and the force-responsive component thereof, thereby calculating the tissue. The amount of displacement is an instant measurement technique. In addition, since the pressing member is directly or indirectly pressed against the target tissue, and the load member can be simply fixed, the measurement can be performed. Therefore, even if the target tissue is located in the body cavity of the individual, no additional surgery is required, and it can also be called a kind. Use simple and non-invasive measurement techniques.

More importantly, the displacement measuring device and method of the present invention provides an alternative to optical monitoring means as compared to conventional techniques, and the technique does not need to indirectly pass through complex camera systems and tags. The screen does not need to perform a large number of subsequent image analysis through software programs, but instead directly feels the change of power to avoid possible errors, and at the same time, the device can be simplistic and easy to integrate with existing medical instruments. When applied, for example, to a radiation therapy assist system, the control drive can drive the individual to move in the opposite direction, offsetting the displacement of the tumor tissue caused by the individual during breathing, and achieving the goal that the tumor is stationary or almost stationary relative to the radiation therapy device. Therefore, the treatment of high irradiation dose can be concentrated, and the tumor control rate is high, and a better therapeutic effect is obtained.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a displacement measuring device and method and a radiation therapy assisting system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same elements will be described with the same reference numerals.

1 is a schematic structural view of a displacement measuring device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1 , in the present embodiment, the displacement measuring device 1 is applied to a tissue, and includes a load member 11 , a pressing member 12 , and a force sensing module 13 . It should be noted, however, that the main structure of the displacement measuring device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is not an integral part, especially the force sensing module 13, and the related details will be further explained below.

The load member 11 can be used to load an external structure or an external force, and the pressing member 12 can directly or indirectly resist the tissue. The force sensing module 13 has at least one force-receiving element 131 , and the force-responsive element 131 is disposed between the load member 11 and the pressing member 12 . In this embodiment, the force sensing module 13 has only one force-receiving element 131, and the force-responsive element 131 is disposed under the load member 11 as an example. However, in other embodiments, the power sense is The test module 13 can have two or three force-responsive elements 131 and be placed around the axis of the load member 11 to increase accuracy for different targets or with an average value, respectively.

According to the above structure, when the tissue is displaced, a displacement external force is applied to the pressing member 12 to drive the pressing member 12 to move, but since the load member 11 has been indirectly fixed by the external structure or the external force is directly fixed, the middle is made The force-responsive element 131 is at least partially deformed. Because there is a certain functional relationship between the deformation of the force-responsive element 131, the displacement external force, and the displacement of the tissue, the displacement of the tissue can be calculated by the force sensing module 13 sensing the deformation of the force-responsive element 131.

For specific explanation, the following will further explain the case of tissue displacement caused by individual inhalation. Please refer to FIG. 2 , which is a schematic diagram of the displacement measuring device of FIG. 1 pressing against the tissue located in the chest. In the example, when the individual inhales, the tissue T in the chest B and the chest B is inevitably driven at the same time, and is displaced, for example, in the axial direction Y, so when the displacement measuring device 1 is disposed above the chest B and the pressing member 12 When the tissue T is indirectly pressed, a displacement external force F _{D is} received by the pressing member 12. The displacement external force F _D should be lifted upwards and the moving member 12 is moved, but since the load member 11 is connected to the non-movable or adjustable external fixing device 15, the load member 11 is thus subjected to the external fixing device 15 Another external force (hereinafter referred to as a fixed external force F _X ). Therefore, under the joint action of the displacement external force F _D and the fixed external force F _X , the force-responsive component 131 is partially deformed, and the force sensing module 13 senses the shape variable as a basis for calculating the T displacement of the tissue. .

The force-reaction element 131 may specifically be a resistive, capacitive or strain-type force sensor, and may be selected with a corresponding housing or other component structure depending on its type. For example, if the force-reaction element 131 is a capacitive force sensor, it may be two thin conductive plates with an insulating buffer material interposed therebetween, and the upper and lower outer sides are provided with a coating on the protective member, when subjected to displacement When the external force F _D and the external force F _X are fixed, the two thin conductive plates are each deformed and the pitch is shortened to form a sensible capacitance change. Referring to FIG. 2, if the force-responsive component 131 is the strain-type force sensor of the embodiment, it may be a strain gauge disposed in the housing 132, and the strain gauge is also under the action of two external forces. Deformation will occur, resulting in a change in the resistance value, which becomes an object for sensing and judging the magnitude of the force.

In order to calculate the amount of tissue T displacement, the force sensing module 13 includes, for example, a sensing circuit, an amplifier, a processing element or a storage element in addition to the partial structure shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 . Please refer to FIG. 3 , which is a system block diagram of a power sensing module according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and the force-responsive component 131 is a strain-type force sensor as an example. The force sensing module 13 is electrically connected to the force-receiving element 131 by the sensing circuit 133 to sense the voltage difference caused by the resistance change of the force-responsive element 131 after the force is applied. Preferably, the sensing circuit 133 can be a Wheatstone bridge circuit to improve sensing sensitivity and stability.

The sensing circuit 133 can be electrically connected to the amplifier 134 to amplify the sensed voltage difference signal. The signal output by the amplifier 134 is sent to the processing element 135, and combined with the data of a series of tissues T stored in the storage element 136, the displacement of the tissue T can be calculated. The relevant information of the organization T may be, for example but not limited to, a power-displacement parameter data, which is jointly established by the force magnitude data and the fluorescence photo data obtained at the same time. Of course, the data established by other methods and data is also It can be used without limitation. In addition, in order to reduce the error of the power-displacement parameter data and the actual situation, for example, due to the change of the individual physiological condition or the error caused by the different pressing position, in the present embodiment, the displacement measuring device 1 can cooperate with the learning before the operation. Mode or correction mode to obtain a set of learning data or correction data in advance as an aid.

It should be noted that, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 in detail, in the embodiment, the housing 132 is coated with the force-responsive component 131, and the sensing circuit 133 is further disposed to form a whole body. Directly utilized unit. Specifically, the unit can be a load cell, and the application can be operated only by connecting the exposed circuit of the sensing circuit 133. In the above aspect, the processing component 135 and the storage component 136 may alternatively be part of a separately operable computer to provide functionality via a line connection, as may the amplifier 134. It can be seen that the power sensing module 13 in the present invention can be a combination of a plurality of units or components connected by a transmission line, and is not limited to be disposed in the same casing.

Continuing the above, in other words, the user can selectively configure the components shown in FIG. 3 as needed, for example, in other aspects, only the force-responsive component 131 can be disposed between the load member 11 and the pressing member 12, and The external sensing circuit 133 and the like are not particularly limited in the present invention. In addition, in the embodiment, the displacement measuring device 1 further includes a display module 14 electrically connected to the power sensing module 13, preferably electrically connected to the amplifier 134 of the power sensing module 13, For the user to directly observe the sensing results or data.

4 is a perspective view showing a displacement measuring device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a side view showing the displacement measuring device shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 4 , in the present embodiment, the force sensing module 43 of the displacement measuring device 4 includes a straining member 437 and a connecting supporting member 438 . The load member 41 has a load platform 411 and a lower extension portion 412. The load platform 411 is coupled to the fixing device 45, and the lower extension portion 412 is coupled to one end of the strain member 437. The connection support member 438 connects the other end of the strain member 437 and the pressing member 42. Further, the force-receiving element 431 is provided between the load member 41 and the position at which the connection support member 438 is coupled to the strain member 437.

Referring to FIG. 5, in the above structure, when the tissue T is displaced in the axial direction Y, the simultaneous displacement external force F _D ' and the fixed external force F _X ' are separated from the strained member 437 by the two stress points. At both ends, the strain member 437 and the force-receiving element 431 thereon are caused to have a large deformation effect, so that the difference value can be increased proportionally and the sensitivity can be enhanced.

In accordance with the foregoing features, the displacement measuring device of the present invention can be used in a variety of applications, including medical testing and therapeutic assistance, etc., but is preferably a radiation therapy assisting system. Therefore, please refer to FIG. 6 , which is a schematic diagram of a system of a radiation therapy assisting system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the radiation therapy assisting system AS includes a displacement measuring device 6 having the foregoing features. A support device 7 and a drive device 8 are wired or wirelessly coupled to each other, but the contents of the drawings are clear, and the devices are not drawn to scale. Among them, the supporting device 7 supports a body BD, usually a cancer patient, and the displacement measuring device 6 is applied to measure the displacement of the tumor tissue T' or cancer tissue in the individual BD. Preferably, the displacement measuring device 6 is adapted to measure the displacement of the tumor tissue T' or cancer tissue located in the thoracic cavity or the abdominal cavity, or adjacent to the diaphragm, and is disposed on the chest or abdominal cavity of the individual BD.

In the case of radiation therapy, since the individual BD inevitably breathes, the resulting chest undulation or diaphragmatic levitation may cause the tumor tissue T' or cancer tissue to be displaced, but if combined with the radiation therapy assisting system AS of the present invention, The displacement amount of the tumor tissue T′ measured by the displacement measuring device 6 is outputted, and the driving device 8 drives the supporting device 7 to move the relative amount of the individual BD in the opposite direction according to the signal, thereby shifting the T′ with the tumor tissue. The offsetting, maintaining the position of the tumor tissue T', reducing the safety margin and the incidence of side effects in normal tissues can also increase the dose of radiation, thereby improving the therapeutic effect of the tumor. It should be additionally noted that since the displacement of the tumor tissue T' is not limited to the axial direction Y', but also may be in the axial direction X' or Z', the support device 7 may be correspondingly simultaneously or sequentially. Individual BDs are moved on any combination of axes.

Of course, based on the same principle, the displacement measuring device can also be applied to, for example, computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or positronmission tomography (PET) or The medical detection such as Proton therapy or Tomotherapy similarly assists, for example, the displacement of the target object when the individual breaths, to eliminate image artifacts and improve the resolution.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the steps of a displacement measurement method according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 7, in the embodiment, the displacement measuring method is applied to a tissue and cooperates with a displacement measuring device. The displacement measuring device comprises a load component, a pressing component and a force sensing module. The force sensing module has at least one force-responsive component, and the force-responsive component is sandwiched between the load component and the pressing component. The detailed technical features of the displacement measuring device are substantially the same as those described in the first embodiment, and the above description is omitted, and details are not described herein again. The displacement measuring method includes the steps of: directly or indirectly pressing the pressing member against the tissue (S71); when the tissue is displaced, receiving an external force by the load member (S73); and transmitting the sensing through the force sensing module The force response element calculates the amount of displacement of the tissue (S75). In addition, in other embodiments, the displacement measurement method may further include the step of displaying the data of the force sensing module to sense the force response component in the display module after the step S75.

In summary, according to the displacement measuring device and method of the present invention, the force sensing module and its force response component can be set to sense the change of the force generated by the displacement corresponding to the target tissue, thereby calculating the tissue. The amount of displacement is an instant measurement technique. In addition, since the pressing member is directly or indirectly pressed against the target tissue, and the load member can be simply fixed, the measurement can be performed. Therefore, even if the target tissue is located in the body cavity of the individual, no additional surgery is required, and it can also be called a kind. Use simple and non-invasive measurement techniques.

More importantly, the displacement measuring device and method of the present invention provides an alternative to optical monitoring means as compared to conventional techniques, and the technique does not need to indirectly pass through complex camera systems and tags. The screen does not need to perform a large number of subsequent image analysis through software programs, but instead directly feels the change of power to avoid possible errors, and at the same time, the device can be simplistic and easy to integrate with existing medical instruments. When applied, for example, to a radiation therapy assist system, the control drive can drive the individual to move in the opposite direction, offsetting the displacement of the tumor tissue caused by the individual during breathing, and achieving the goal that the tumor is stationary or almost stationary relative to the radiation therapy device. Therefore, the treatment of high irradiation dose can be concentrated, and the tumor control rate is high, and a better therapeutic effect is obtained.

The above is intended to be illustrative only and not limiting. Any equivalent modifications or alterations to the spirit and scope of the invention are intended to be included in the scope of the appended claims.

1, 4, 6. . . Displacement measuring device

11, 41. . . Load member

12, 42. . . Compressed parts

13,43. . . Power sensing module

131, 431. . . Force response element

132. . . case

133. . . Sense circuit

134. . . Amplifier

135. . . Processing component

136. . . Storage element

14. . . Display module

15. . . External fixture

411. . . Load platform

412. . . Lower extension

437. . . Strain material

438. . . Connecting support member

45. . . Fixtures

7. . . Support device

8. . . Drive unit

AS. . . Radiation therapy support system

B. . . chest

BD. . . individual

F _D , F _D '. . . Displacement force

F _X , F _X '. . . Fixed external force

T, T’. . . organization

X', Y, Y', Z'. . . Axial

S71～S75. . . step

1 is a schematic structural view of a displacement measuring device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a schematic view of the displacement measuring device of FIG. 1 pressed against the tissue in the chest;

3 is a system block diagram of a power sensing module according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a schematic view showing the appearance of a displacement measuring device according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the displacement measuring device shown in Figure 4;

6 is a schematic diagram of a system of a radiation therapy assisting system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the steps of a displacement measurement method according to an embodiment of the invention.

1. . . Displacement measuring device

11. . . Load member

12. . . Compressed parts

13. . . Power sensing module

131. . . Force response element

132. . . case

Claims (14)

A radiation therapy assisting system is applied to a tissue, the radiation therapy assisting system comprising: a displacement measuring device comprising: a load member; a pressing member directly or indirectly against the tissue; and a sense of force a force sensing module having at least one force-responsive component, and the force-responsive component is disposed between the load component and the pressing component; a supporting device supporting a body; and a driving device Connecting the supporting device, wherein the load member receives an external force when the tissue is displaced, and the force sensing module calculates the displacement amount of the tissue by sensing the force-responsive component, and the driving device is configured according to the displacement amount The amount of displacement of the tissue measured by the measuring device drives the support device to move the individual. The radiation therapy assisting system of claim 1, wherein the force-responsive component is a resistive, capacitive or strain-type force sensor. The radiation therapy assisting system of claim 1, wherein the force-responsive component is disposed under the load member. The radiation therapy assisting system of claim 1, wherein the force sensing module comprises: a strain member, the load member being coupled to one end of the strain member; A connecting support member is coupled to the other end of the strain member and the pressing member, wherein the force-responsive member is disposed between the load member and a position at which the connecting member is coupled to the strain member. The radiation therapy assisting system according to claim 1, wherein the load member is coupled to a fixing device, and the external force is provided by the fixing device. The radiotherapy auxiliary system according to claim 1, wherein the tissue is a tumor tissue or a cancer tissue. The radiation therapy assisting system of claim 1, wherein the displacement measuring device further comprises: a display module electrically connected to the force sensing module. A displacement measuring method is applied to a tissue, the tissue displacement measuring method is combined with a radiation therapy auxiliary system, the radiation therapy auxiliary system includes a displacement measuring device, a supporting device and a driving device, and the driving device is connected The displacement measuring device includes a load member, a pressing member and a force sensing module, the force sensing module has at least one force-responsive component, and the force-responsive component is disposed on the Between the load member and the pressing member, the supporting device supports a body, and the displacement measuring method comprises the steps of: directly or indirectly pressing the pressing member against the tissue; when the tissue is displaced, the loading member is Receiving an external force; the force sensing module calculates the displacement of the tissue by sensing the force response element; The driving device drives the supporting device to move the individual according to the displacement amount of the tissue measured by the displacement measuring device. The displacement measuring method according to claim 8, wherein the force-responsive component is a resistive, capacitive or strain-type force sensor. The displacement measuring method according to claim 8, wherein the force-receiving element is disposed under the load member. The displacement measuring method according to claim 8, wherein the force sensing module comprises: a strain member, the load member is coupled to one end of the strain member; and a joint support member connecting the strain member The other end and the mortgage member, wherein the force-responsive component is disposed between the load member and a position at which the joint support member is joined to the strain member. The displacement measuring method according to claim 8, wherein the load member is coupled to a fixing device, and the external force is provided by the fixing device. The displacement measuring method according to claim 8, wherein the tissue is a tumor tissue or a cancer tissue. The displacement measuring method of claim 8, wherein the displacement measuring device further comprises a display module electrically connected to the force sensing module, and the displacement measuring method further comprises the following steps: Displaying the force sensing module to sense one of the force response components The data is in the display module.