To overcome the difficulties inherent in conventional proton therapy systems, new techniques are described herein for synchronizing the application of proton radiation with the periodic movement of a target area. In an embodiment, a method is provided that combines multiple rescans of a spot scanning proton beam while monitoring the periodic motion of the target area, and aligning the applications of the proton beam with parameters of the periodic motion. For example, the direction(s) and frequency of the periodic motion may be monitored, and the timing, dose rate, and/or scanning direction and spot sequence of the beam can be adjusted to align with phases in the periodic motion

A system for inducing respiration according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: an imaging unit for picking a respiration image of a patient; a respiration signal conversion unit for obtaining a respiration signal of the patient by image processing, and tracking and analyzing the respiration image of the patient obtained from the imaging unit; and a respiration determination unit for determining one or more of whether the obtained respiration signal is suitable for radiation treatment, whether the obtained respiration signal is stable, and whether a matching score between the respiration signal of the patient and a guide respiration is greater than a predetermined reference value; and a respiration guide unit for providing the respiration signal of the patient, obtained from the respiration signal conversion unit, together with a stored guide signal.

A respiratory gating phantom device includes a first airbag, a second airbag, a first catheter, a second catheter, a fixture, and an air pressure gating device. The first catheter and the second catheter are respectively installed in the first airbag and the second airbag. The fixture is provided with a phantom tumor and adjustably installed in the first catheter or the second catheter, thereby installing the phantom tumor in the first catheter or the second catheter. The air pressure gating device, connected to the first airbag and the second airbag, inflates and deflates the first airbag and the second airbag to simulate breathing. The first catheter and the second catheter respectively move along three-dimensional direction and two-dimensional direction in response to motions of the first airbag and the second airbag.

A medical data processing method of determining a transformation for determining a breathing state-dependent geometry of an anatomical body part of a patient's body, the method comprising: a) acquiring planning image data describing a set of tomographic medical planning images describing each a different part of the anatomical body part in the same respiratory state called reference planning respiratory state, wherein the anatomical body part is subject to respiratory movement and wherein the planning images comprise a planning image called reference planning image describing a part of the anatomical body part which is called reference planning body part; b) acquiring breathing image data describing a set of tomographic medical breathing images of the anatomical body part, wherein the breathing images comprise a reference breathing image describing the reference planning body part in a respiratory state called reference breathing respiratory state, which is different from the reference planning respiratory state, and a target breathing image describing at least another part of the anatomical body part, wherein the other part of the anatomical body part is called target body part, in a respiratory state called target respiratory state which is different from the reference planning respiratory state; c) determining, based on the planning image data and the breathing image data, reference transformation data describing a transformation, called reference transformation, between the geometry of the reference planning body part in the reference planning respiratory state and the geometry of the reference planning body part in the reference breathing respiratory state; d) acquiring scaling factor data describing a scaling factor which describes a relationship between the geometry of the reference planning body part in the reference breathing respiratory state and the geometry of the target body part in the target respiratory state; e) determining, based on the reference transformation and the scaling factor data, derived transformation data describing a transformation called derived transformation between the geometry of the target body part in the reference planning respiratory state, and the geometry of the target body part in the reference breathing respiratory state.

Methods and systems are disclosed for radiating a moving object. The method may comprise acquiring a plurality of indicators of the phase of a physiological cycle of a patient and a plurality of images of the patient that include a target. Each image may be taken at a different phase of the physiological cycle and may be registered to the phase at which the image was taken. The method may also include identifying the target in each of the plurality of images, calculating a dose of radiation required to treat the target, calculating the number, orientation, and dwell time of one or more radiation beams required to deliver the calculated required dose of radiation to the target, and calculating a position of each of the one or more radiation beams required to achieve the calculated orientation. Each position may be a function of the phase of the physiological cycle to which each of the plurality of images is registered.

The present invention relates to a heart tissue ablation device comprising a charged particle emitting system 1, a control system 2 for instructing the accelerator and beamline when to create the beam and what its required properties should be, a patient positioning and verification system, an ultrasound cardiac imaging system 3 performed on the patient, able to track the target movement, a computer program to determine and record the safe motion margins, the treatment plans for one or more motion phases and a computer program to regulate the control system 2 to load the correct irradiation plan according to the motion phase and if the position of the target is inside of the position margin, the irradiation is enabled and if the position of the target is outside of the position margin, the irradiation is disabled.

In a method to control a medical apparatus of an installation having: a contact device for a patient, at least one electrical potential sensor that can be coupled to the body of said patient is integrated into the contact device. A signal evaluation device is provided with measurement signals generated with the electrical potential sensor for evaluation. The medical apparatus is connected with the signal evaluation device, and measurement signals that relate to the breathing and/or cardiac activity of the patient are acquired with the at least one electrical potential sensor coupled to the body of said patient upon contact of the patient with the contact device. Trigger signals are generated with the signal evaluation device based on the measurement signals that relate to the breathing cycle and/or the cardiac cycle of the patient. Operation of the medical apparatus is controlled based on the trigger signals.

Systems and methods are disclosed for monitoring a patient by positioning the patient for a predetermined medical mission; sensing biometric and physical conditions of a patient during the mission, and displaying a multimedia interaction with the patient to keep the patient in a predetermined position to improve efficacy of a medical mission.

The present invention relates to a respiratory gating system for a patient using a natural breathing method during radiation therapy, and a method for emitting radiation thereby. A respiratory gating system allowing radiation to be emitted by orienting to the position, which varies according to a patient's breathing, of a subject on which treatment is to be carried out, comprises: a breathing respirator for allowing the patient's respiration amount to be measured; external markers to be respectively adhered to triangulation points outside the human body of the surrounding region of the subject, of the patient, on which treatment is to be carried out; an image diagnosis device for imaging the region of the subject of the patient on which treatment is to be carried out, by photographing the same; and a computer program programmed so as to calculate, as position coordinates, the change in position of the subject on which treatment is to be carried out, according to the respiration amount measured by the computed tomography equipment and the each external marker, through a triangulation method and dual polynomial equations, and to transmit the position coordinates, which changes in real time, to radiation therapy equipment, wherein radiation is emitted by the respiratory gating system, and there is an effect of further increasing the accuracy and stability of the entire radiation therapy result by tracking, in real time, the movement of an organ, which is the subject on which treatment is to be carried out according to breathing, through a respiratory gating system which uses natural breathing rather than a breathing method through the training of the patient.

Apparatus and methods for planning and/or delivering radiation treatment and controlling a radiation delivery system are described. Apparatus for delivering radiation treatment includes a radiation source, a drive connected to move the radiation source along a trajectory, a stored radiation treatment plan specifying a plurality of beam ON segments and beam OFF portions of the trajectory interleaved with the plurality of beam ON segments, and a monitor connected to detect progress of a physiological cycle of the patient, the physiological cycle has cycles that include quiescent periods. One or more data processors are connected to control the drive to advance the radiation source along the trajectory, control the radiation source to deliver radiation in each of the plurality of beam ON segments of the trajectory and to deliver no or negligible radiation in each of the beam OFF portions of the trajectory, process an output of the monitor to estimate a time for a next one of the quiescent periods, and control a speed at which the radiation source is advanced along the trajectory to cause the radiation source to arrive at a start of a next one of the beam ON segments at a time that coincides with the next one of the quiescent periods.