Ion therapy device and therapy method using ion beam

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10434336-B2
Application number	US-201715711925-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2017
Priority date	Sep 21, 2016
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

Provided is a therapy method using an ion beam, including injecting the ion beam to a target spot in a body of an examinee, measuring a Bragg peak spot of the ion beam injected into the body of the examinee, and adjusting the target spot using the measured Bragg peak spot, wherein the measuring of the Bragg peak spot comprises measuring a spot of a microbubble generated inside the body of the examinee.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A therapy method using an ion beam, the therapy method comprising:
injecting the ion beam to a target spot in a body of an examinee;
measuring a Bragg peak spot of the ion beam injected into the body of the examinee; and
adjusting the target spot using the measured Bragg peak spot,
wherein the measuring of the Bragg peak spot comprises measuring a spot of a microbubble generated inside the body of the examinee.

2. The therapy method of claim 1 , wherein the injecting of the ion beam and the measuring of the Bragg peak spot are performed substantially at a same time.

3. The therapy method of claim 1 , wherein the adjusting of the target spot comprises adjusting at least one of an injection direction and injection intensity of the ion beam on a basis of the measured Bragg peak spot.

4. The therapy method of claim 1 , wherein the measuring of the Bragg peak spot comprises:
injecting an X-ray into the body of the examinee;
acquiring, from the X-ray, an X-ray image of the body of the examinee; and
measuring, from the X-ray image, the spot of the microbubble generated in the ion beam.

5. The therapy method of claim 4 , wherein the X-ray image is at least one of an X-ray phase contrast image, X-ray subtraction image, X-ray phase contrast subtraction image, and X-ray tomography image.

6. The therapy method of claim 4 , wherein the ion beam and X-ray are injected to the target spot inside the body of the examinee, and an injection direction of the ion beam toward the body of the examinee and an injection direction of the X-ray toward the body of the examinee do not overlap each other.

7. The therapy method of claim 4 , wherein the injections of the ion beam and the X-ray are performed during revolution around the body of the examinee.

8. The therapy method of claim 4 , wherein a diameter of the microbubble is several hundreds of A to several hundreds of μm.

9. A therapy method using an ion beam, the therapy method comprising:
injecting the ion beam into a body of an examinee;
injecting an X-ray into the body of the examinee to which the ion beam is injected;
acquiring, from the X-ray, an X-ray image of the body of the examinee; and
measuring, from the X-ray image, a spot of a microbubble generated in the ion beam to check a Bragg peak spot of the ion beam.

10. The therapy method of claim 9 , wherein a diameter of the microbubble is several hundreds of A to several hundreds of μm.

11. The therapy method of claim 9 , wherein the X-ray image is at least one of an X-ray phase contrast image, X-ray subtraction image, X-ray phase contrast subtraction image, and X-ray tomography image.

12. The therapy method of claim 9 , wherein the ion beam and X-ray are injected to a target spot inside the body of the examinee, and an injection direction of the ion beam toward the body of the examinee and an injection direction of the X-ray toward the body of the examinee do not overlap each other.

13. The therapy method of claim 9 , wherein the ion beam and X-ray are injected to a target spot inside the body of the examinee,
further comprising adjusting the target spot using the Bragg peak spot,
wherein the adjusting of the target spot comprises adjusting at least one of an injection direction and injection intensity of the ion beam on a basis of the measured Bragg peak spot.

14. An ion therapy device comprising:
an ion beam generating unit configured to generate an ion beam;
an ion beam injecting unit configured to inject the ion beam to a body of an examinee;
a gantry disposed to enclose the body of the examinee and configured to revolve around the body of the examinee;
an X-ray imaging device configured to measure a spot of a microbubble inside the body of the examinee; and
a controller configured to measure a bragg peak position of the ion beam from the spot of the microbubble.

15. The ion therapy device of claim 14 , wherein the X-ray imaging device is at least one of an X-ray phase contrast imaging device, X-ray subtraction imaging device, X-ray phase contrast subtraction imaging device, and X-ray tomography imaging device.

16. The ion therapy device of claim 14 , wherein the ion beam injecting unit is combined to one side of the gantry.

17. The ion therapy device of claim 14 , wherein the X-ray imaging device comprises non-transitory computer readable instructions which, when executed by a processor, compare images taken before and after the ion beam is injected into the body of the examinee to measure the spot of the microbubble.

Assignees

• Electronics & Telecommunications Res Inst
• Electronics & Telecommunications Res Institute

Inventors

• Jung Moon Youn
• Lee Sooyeul
• Choi Jang Hwan
• Kim Jinsun

Classifications

• A61B6/12

  Arrangements for detecting or locating foreign bodies · CPC title

• A61N2005/1062

  using virtual X-ray images, e.g. digitally reconstructed radiographs [DRR] · CPC title

• A61B6/484

  involving phase contrast X-ray imaging · CPC title

• A61N2005/1087

  Ions; Protons · CPC title

• A61N5/1069

  Target adjustment, e.g. moving the patient support · CPC title