Patient monitor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10926109-B2
Application number	US-201816230739-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2018
Priority date	Oct 12, 2012
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

Images obtained by a camera system ( 10 ) arranged to obtain images of a patient ( 20 ) undergoing radio-therapy are processed by a modeling unit ( 56,58 ) which generates a model of the surface of a patient ( 20 ) being monitored. Additionally the patient monitoring system processes image data not utilized to generate a model of the surface of a patient being monitored to determine further information concerning the treatment of the patient ( 20 ). Such additional data can comprise data identifying the relative location of the patient and a treatment apparatus ( 16 ). This can be facilitated by providing a number or retro-reflective markers ( 30 - 40 ) on a treatment apparatus ( 16 ) and a mechanical couch ( 18 ) used to position the patient ( 20 ) relative to the treatment apparatus ( 16 ) and monitoring the presence and location of the markers in the portions of the images obtained by the stereoscopic camera ( 10 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A radiotherapy treatment system, comprising:
a movable radiotherapy treatment apparatus configured to focus a beam of a radiation source on a treatment target of a patient placed on a movable couch,
wherein the movable couch is configured for positioning said patient to align said treatment target with said beam of the radiation source,
wherein predefined positions of the movable couch and said movable radiotherapy treatment apparatus during a course of radiotherapy treatment is operated according to a predefined treatment plan;
wherein the system further comprises:
a camera system configured to obtain images of said movable radiotherapy treatment apparatus, said movable couch and said patient; and
a control system, configured to:
receive said images from said camera system;
track positions of the movable radiotherapy treatment apparatus and the movable couch in said images during the course of radiotherapy treatment using the received images; and
compare said tracked positions of the movable radiotherapy treatment apparatus and said movable couch with said predefined positions according to said predefined treatment plan,
generate from said images, a patient surface model of at least a part of said patient containing said treatment target; and
align said generated patient surface model with a computer model of said movable radiotherapy treatment apparatus and said movable couch,

wherein said alignment of said patient surface model is tracked in relation to said tracked positions of the movable radiotherapy treatment apparatus and the movable couch.

2. The radiotherapy treatment system according to claim 1 , wherein the camera system includes
a projector for projecting a pattern of light onto at least part of said patient; and
a stereoscopic camera operable to obtain a sequence of images, within a defined field of view, of said patient,
wherein the control system is configured to
process portions of the sequences of images, not utilized to generate the surface model, to track relative positioning of the movable radiotherapy treatment apparatus relative to the surface model of the patient during the course of radiotherapy treatment, and
compare the relative positioning of the movable radiotherapy treatment apparatus relative to the surface model of the patient with an expected relative positioning based on a predefined treatment plan to identify disparities between the relative positioning of the treatment apparatus relative to the patient and the expected relative positioning based on the predefined treatment plan.

3. The radiotherapy treatment system according to claim 1 , further comprising
one or more markers attached to the movable couch or the movable radiotherapy treatment apparatus,
wherein said control system is configured to track the positionings of the movable radiotherapy treatment apparatus and the movable couch by tracking a marker configuration identified from the received images.

4. The radiotherapy treatment system according to claim 3 , wherein the markers are provided on a surface of the movable couch and/or the movable radiotherapy treatment apparatus.

5. The radiotherapy treatment system according to claim 3 , wherein
the one or more markers are retro-reflective markers, and
the control system is further configured to identify portions of the received images which correspond to the one or more markers by performing a thresholding operation.

6. The radiotherapy treatment system according to claim 1 , wherein the moveable radiotherapy treatment apparatus comprises a gantry operable to rotate about an axis relative to a main body of the movable radiotherapy treatment apparatus and the control system is configured to determine relative rotation of the gantry about the axis based on the received images and the computer model.

7. The radiotherapy treatment system according to claim 1 , wherein the control system is further configured to determine the relative positioning of the movable radiotherapy treatment apparatus relative to the surface model of the patient and generate a warning if the movable radiotherapy treatment apparatus is likely to collide with the patient or the movable couch.

8. The radiotherapy treatment system according to claim 1 , further comprising
a face mask having distinctive markings thereon, and
wherein the control system is configured to process image data corresponding to portions of the images which are not utilized to generate a patient surface model to detect presence of the distinctive markings on said face mask and provide a warning if the markings do not correspond to expected markings for the patient being treated.

Assignees

• Vision Rt Ltd

Inventors

• Meir Ivan
• Cooper Kathryn
• Smith Norman
• Hale Gideon
• Allen Martin

Classifications

• A61N5/1069

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

• G06T7/73

  using feature-based methods · CPC title

• G06T2207/30204

  Marker · CPC title

• A61N2005/1059

  using cameras imaging the patient · CPC title

• A61B2090/3904

  specially adapted for marking specified tissue · CPC title