In a radiation therapy system, treatment X-rays are delivered to a target volume at the same time that imaging X-rays are also delivered to the target volume for generating image data of the target volume. That is, during an imaging interval in which imaging X-rays are delivered to the target volume, one or more pulses of treatment X-rays are also delivered to the target volume. In each pixel of an X-ray imaging device of the radiation therapy system, image signal is accumulated during portions of the imaging interval in which only imaging X-rays are delivered to the target volume and is prevented from accumulating in each pixel during the pulses of treatment X-rays.

The invention comprises a method and apparatus for tracking and/or imaging impact of a particle beam treating a tumor using one or more imaging systems positionable about the tumor, such as a positron emission tracking and/or imaging system, where resulting tracking/imaging data: dynamically determines a treatment beam position, tracks a history of treatment beam positions, guides the treatment beam, and/or images a tumor before, during, and/or after treatment with the charged particle beam.

Disclosed is a computer-implemented method for determining a position of an anatomical tracking structure in a tracking image usable for controlling a radiation treatment such as at least one of radiotherapy or radio surgery of a patient, a corresponding computer program, a non-transitory program storage medium storing such a program and a computer for executing the program, as well as a system for the position of an anatomical tracking structure in a tracking image usable for controlling a radiation treatment such as at least one of radiotherapy or radio surgery of a patient, a system comprising an electronic data storage device and the aforementioned computer.

An example particle therapy system includes a toroid-shaped gantry having a central axis. The toroid-shaped gantry has a cover. The cover includes one or more segments that are rotatable at least partly around the central axis of the toroid-shaped gantry to create an unobstructed opening in the toroid-shaped gantry. The particle therapy system includes a patient couch configured to move relative to a hole in the toroid-shaped gantry, an imaging system coupled to an interior of the toroid-shaped gantry and configured for rotation about the hole in the toroid-shaped gantry, where the imaging system is configured to capture images of a patient on the patient couch, and a nozzle coupled to the interior of the toroid-shaped gantry and configured for rotation about the hole in the toroid-shaped gantry. The nozzle is configured to deliver radiation to a target in the patient based on one or more of the images.

The present invention relates to a medical data processing method of determining the representation of an anatomical body part (2) of a patient (1) in a sequence of medical images, the anatomical body part (2) being subject to a vital movement of the patient (1), the method being constituted to be executed by a computer and comprising the following steps: a) acquiring advance medical image data comprising a time-related advance medical image comprising a representation of the anatomical body part (2) in a specific movement phase; b) acquiring current medical image data describing a sequence of current medical images, wherein the sequence comprises a specific current medical image comprising a representation of the anatomical body part (2) in the specific movement phase, and a tracking current medical image which is different from the specific current medical image and comprises a representation of the anatomical body part (2) in a tracking movement phase which is different from the specific movement phase; c) determining, based on the advance medical image data and the current medical image data, specific image subset data describing a specific image subset of the specific current medical image, the specific image subset comprising the representation of the anatomical body part (2); d) determining, based on the current medical image data and the image subset data, subset tracking data describing a tracked image subset in the tracking current medical image, the tracked image subset comprising the representation of the anatomical body part (2).

Disclosed herein is a method of positioning a patient for radio-therapy treatment using a radiotherapy device. The method comprises determining an identity of a treatment beam that is to be used to treat the patient, determining an offset between a reference location and an isocentre location for the identified treatment beam that is to be used to treat the patient, and changing a spatial relationship between the patient and at least a part of the radiotherapy device, according to the determined offset.

Disclosed herein is a method of positioning a patient for radiotherapy treatment using a radiotherapy system. The method comprises determining a first target position for the patient for radiotherapy treatment; implementing a spatial relationship between the patient and at least a part of the radiotherapy device, at a first time (t.sub.1), according to the first target position; providing radiotherapy treatment to the patient; determining a current position of the patient, at a second, subsequent time (t.sub.2); and determining whether a change of a spatial relationship between the patient and at least a part of the radiotherapy device should be made, according to the first target position.

Systems and techniques may be used to estimate a patient state during a radiotherapy treatment. For example, a method may include generating a dictionary of expanded potential patient measurements and corresponding potential patient states using a preliminary motion model. The method may include training, using a machine learning technique, a correspondence motion model relating an input patient measurement to an output patient state using the dictionary. The method may include estimating, using a processor, the patient state corresponding to an input image using the correspondence motion model.

A method of operating imaging and tracking. The method includes determining, for each angle of a plurality of angles from which tracking images can be generated by an imaging device, a value of a tracking quality metric for tracking a target based on an analysis of a projection generated at that angle. The method also includes selecting, by a processing device, a subset of the plurality of angles that have a tracking quality metric value that satisfies a tracking quality metric criterion, one or more angles of the subset to be used to generate a tracking image of the target during a treatment stage, wherein the subset comprises at least a first angle and a second angle that is at least separated by a minimum threshold from the first angle.

Disclosed herein is a medical instrument (100, 300). Execution of the machine executable instructions causes a processor (106) to: receive (206) a set of joint location coordinates (128) for a subject (118) reposing on a subject support (120), receive (207) a body orientation (132) in response to inputting the set of joint location coordinates into a predetermined logic module (130), calculate (208) a torso aspect ratio (134) from set of joint location coordinates. If (210) the torso aspect ratio is greater than a predetermined threshold (136) then (212) the body pose of the subject is a decubitus pose. Execution of the machine executable instructions further cause the processor to assign (220) the body pose as being a supine pose if the subject is face up on the subject support or assign (222) the body pose as being a prone pose if the subject is face down on the subject support if the torso aspect ratio is less than or equal to the predetermined threshold. Execution of the machine executable instructions further cause the processor to generate (216) a subject pose label (142).