A radiation beam intensity modulation device constituted of: a control circuitry; a plurality of cells, each of the plurality of cells arranged, responsive to the control circuitry, to be switched between an attenuating state and a transparent state; and attenuating material, each of the plurality of cells arranged to contain therewithin a portion of the attenuating material when in the attenuating state and not contain therewithin the portion of the attenuating material when in the transparent state.

An example particle therapy system includes a gantry having a beamline structure configured to direct a particle beam that is monoenergetic from an output of a particle accelerator towards an irradiation target, where the beamline structure includes magnetic bending elements to bend the particle beam along a length of the beamline structure; and an energy degrader downstream of the beamline structure relative to the particle accelerator, where the energy degrader is configured and controllable to change an energy of the particle beam prior to at least part of the particle beam reaching the irradiation target.

A method is for changing a spatial intensity distribution of an x-ray beam. In an embodiment, the method includes generating an x-ray beam by an x-ray source; guiding a beam path of the x-ray beam through a form filter with a plurality of lamellas, the form filter including a holder apparatus and the plurality of lamellas being arranged in the holder apparatus such that each lamella has at least one straight line running through the respective lamella in parallel to the further lamellas. The method further includes aligning the plurality of lamellas relative to the beam path by controlled movement of at least one part of the plurality of lamellas relative to one another and thereby changing the spatial intensity distribution of the x-ray beam. An apparatus, configured to carry out such a method, an irradiation arrangement and a medical imaging apparatus are further disclosed.

When IMRT technology for a radiation therapy system utilizing an X-ray or the like is applied to a particle beam therapy system having a conventional wobbler system, it is required to utilize two or more boluses. The present invention solves the problem of excess irradiation in IMRT by a particle beam therapy system. More specifically, the problem of excess irradiation in IMRT by a particle beam therapy system is solved by raising the irradiation flexibility in the depth direction, without utilizing a bolus. A particle beam irradiation apparatus has a scanning irradiation system that performs scanning with a charged particle beam accelerated by an accelerator and is mounted in a rotating gantry for rotating the irradiation direction of the charged particle beam. The particle beam irradiation apparatus comprises a columnar-irradiation-field generation apparatus that generates a columnar irradiation field by enlarging the Bragg peak of the charged particle beam.

A system and method for recording in real-time the duration, position, and energy of ion beams as delivered by a proton or heavy ion cancer treatment system for the purpose of calibrating the radiological system and verifying the treatment plans for various lesions. The energy of the ion beam is calculated from the beam ion depth penetration through a phantom as recorded on a two-dimensional scintillator surface which is viewed by a sensitive visible-light camera mounted in a darkened enclosure. The energy of the beam is degraded by a novel multi-step dual-slope chevron wedge phantom which creates, at a minimum, two bright spots in the camera's field of view. The distance between the centers of these two spots along with the dimensions and density of the multi-step dual-slope chevron wedge are used to calculate the Bragg Peak penetration depth of the ion beam. A computer connected to the camera measures the location and intensity of these spots during treatment delivery and archives the original beam image, spot parameters, timing, and computed beam energies to memory. Software algorithms reconstruct a mathematical description of each treatment beam. The operator can then determine discrepancies between the measured dosimetric pattern and the intended treatment or calibration pattern.

The invention comprises a method and apparatus for directing protons to a tumor, comprising the steps of: (1) holding a patient with a patient support; (2) providing an imaging system comprising: a rotatable unit at least partially surrounding an axial perimeter of the patient support, a translation guide rail, an imaging source attached to the rotatable unit, and an imaging detector attached to the rotatable unit; (3) translating and rotating the imaging source and the imaging detector relative to the patient support using the translation guide rail and the rotatable unit; and (4) providing an attachment section connected: on a first end to a robotic arm positioning system and on a second end to the patient support and the imaging system, the robotic arm positioning system repositioning, relative to a nozzle system linked to the synchrotron, the attachment system supporting the patient support system and the imaging system.

The invention comprises a method and apparatus for using a single robotic positioning arm to simultaneously move, relative to a proton beam path entering a treatment room containing the patient, both: (1) a patient support and (2) an imaging system. The robotic arm moving the imaging system and patient independently from movement of a nozzle system directing protons into the treatment rooms allows: simultaneously translating past the patient and rotating around the patient an X-ray source of the imaging system; translating a rotatable unit, of the imaging system, longitudinally past the patient on a translation guide rail; moving the patient support and the imaging system through at least four degrees of freedom relative to a movable proton beam; and/or simultaneous or alternating movement of the proton treatment beam and the imaging system relative to the patient.

Systems and apparatuses for providing particle beams for radiation therapy with a compact design and suitable to a single treatment room. The radiation system comprises a stationary cyclotron coupled to a rotating gantry assembly through a beam line assembly. The system is equipped with a single set of dipole magnets that are installed on the rotating gantry assembly and undertakes the dual functions of beam energy selection and beam deflection. The energy degrader may be exposed to the air pressure. The beam line assembly comprises a rotating segment and a stationary segment that are separated from each other through an intermediate segment that is exposed to an ambient pressure.

A neutron capture therapy system, including a beam shaping assembly, and a vacuum tube and at least one cooling device. The beam shaping assembly includes a beam inlet, an accommodating cavity accommodating the vacuum tube, a moderator adjacent to an end portion of the accommodation cavity, a reflector surrounding the moderator, and a radiation shield and a beam outlet arranged in the beam shaping assembly. An end portion of the vacuum tube is provided with a target. The cooling device undergoes a nuclear reaction with a charged particle beam incident from the beam inlet to produce neutrons. The moderator decelerates the neutrons produced by the target to an epithermal neutron energy region. The reflector leads deviating neutrons back to the moderator. At least one accommodating pipeline accommodating the cooling device is arranged in the beam shaping assembly. A filler is filled between the cooling device and the accommodating pipeline.

An imaging apparatus and associated methods are provided to efficiently estimate scatter during multi-fraction treatments for improved quality and workflow. Estimated scatter from one fraction during a treatment course can be utilized during subsequent fractions, allowing for measurements with higher scatter-to-primary ratios. The quality of scatter estimates can be maintained, while workflow improves and dosage decreases. Scan configuration limits can be utilized to maintain a minimum level of scatter measurement quality. Patient information can be monitored to ensure that prior fraction scatter estimates are still applicable to current patient status.