Minibeam radiotherapy device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11235174-B2
Application number	US-201716349938-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 2, 2017
Priority date	Nov 17, 2016
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

Device including a multileaf collimator, the multileaf collimator including an array of leaves and slits, the array having an alternation of leaves and slits and extending in a longitudinal direction, the longitudinal direction being defined as a direction extending from an entrance plane of the array toward an exit plane of the array, each leaf being located between two slits; the device having a source for emitting an incident electromagnetic beam or a source for emitting an incident beam of subatomic particles, the source being arranged to emit the beam in the direction of the entrance plane of the array, the multileaf collimator being arranged to obtain an arrangement of beams from the incident beam, and the arrangement of beams forms an alternation of high-energy lines and lower-energy lines.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
a multileaf collimator, said multileaf collimator comprising an array of leaves and slits, said array comprising an alternation of leaves and slits and extending in a longitudinal direction, said longitudinal direction being defined as a direction extending from an entrance plane of the array to an exit plane of the array, each leaf being located between two slits;
at least one leaf or at least one slit of the array has a thickness different from a thickness respectively of at least one other leaf or at least one other slit of the array in the entrance plane or exit plane of the array; and
a thickness of at least one leaf or a thickness of at least one slit of the array varies in the longitudinal direction;
said device having a source of emission of an incident electromagnetic beam or a source of emission of an incident beam of subatomic particles, said source being arranged for emitting the beam in the direction of the entrance plane of the array, said multileaf collimator being arranged for obtaining, from the incident beam, a desired arrangement of beams at a target; and
the arrangement of beams constitutes an array of minibeams for radiotherapy treatment and forms an alternation of high-energy lines and lower-energy lines;
and at least one slit/leaf interface of the array is parallel to at least another slit/leaf interface of the array, said at least one slit/leaf interface and said at least another slit/leaf interface are formed at a non-zero angle relative to a central plane of the array, the central plane of the array being parallel to the longitudinal direction and linking two opposite internal walls of the multileaf collimator between which the leaves extend.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the source emits a divergent incident beam.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the arrangement of beams has a width greater than 1 mm or less than 10 cm.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the source of electromagnetic radiation is an X-ray source.

5. The device according to claim 4 , wherein the X-ray source is a cathode source.

6. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the multileaf collimator has a channel extending in the longitudinal direction and located upstream of the entrance plane of the array.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of each of the leaves of the array in any one of the planes perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is greater than 300 μm or less than 2 mm.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a distance, in the longitudinal direction, between the entrance plane of the array and the exit plane of the array is greater than 1 cm or less than 6 cm.

9. The device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one leaf of the array has a thickness that is different from a thickness of at least one other leaf of the array in the entrance plane of the array.

10. The device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one leaf of the array has a thickness that is different from a thickness of at least one other leaf of the array in the exit plane of the array.

11. The device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one leaf of the array has a thickness in the entrance plane of the array different from a thickness in the exit plane of the array.

12. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of each of the slits of the array in any one of the planes perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is greater than 300 μm or less than 1 mm.

13. The device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one slit of the array has a thickness in the entrance plane of the array different from a thickness of at least one other slit of the array in the entrance plane of the array.

14. The device according to claim 1 , wherein:
at least one slit of the array has a thickness in the exit plane of the array different from a thickness of at least one other slit of the array in the exit plane of the array, or
at least one slit of the array has a thickness in the exit plane of the array different from a thickness of at least one other slit of the array in the exit plane of the array and at least one slit of the array has a thickness in the entrance plane of the array different from a thickness in the exit plane of the array.

15. The device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one slit of the array has a thickness in the entrance plane of the array different from a thickness in the exit plane of the array.

16. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the successive leaves of the array have respective thicknesses in any one of the planes perpendicular to the longitudinal direction that vary in an increasing manner or that remain constant with increasing distance from the central plane of the array in two opposite directions perpendicular to the central plane of the array, the central plane of the array being parallel to the longitudinal direction and linking two opposite internal walls of the multileaf collimator between which the leaves extend.

17. The device according to claim 16 , wherein the lower energy lines have an energy equal to zero or close to zero.

18. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the successive slits of the array have respective thicknesses in any one of the planes perpendicular to the longitudinal direction that vary in an increasing manner or that remain constant with increasing distance from the central plane of the array in two opposite directions perpendicular to the central plane of the array, the central plane of the array being parallel to the longitudinal direction and linking two opposite internal walls of the multileaf collimator between which the leaves extend.

19. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the successive slit and leaf interfaces form respective angles with respect to the central plane of the array that vary in an increasing manner or that remain constant with increasing distance from the central plane of the array in two opposite directions perpendicular to the central plane of the array, each of these angles having its vertex upstream of the entrance plane of the array with respect to the longitudinal direction, the central plane of the array being parallel to the longitudinal direction and linking two opposite internal walls of the multileaf collimator between which the leaves extend.

20. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a stopper arranged to be fitted detachably on the collimator downstream of the exit plane of the array with respect to the longitudinal direction, said stopper being arranged for delimiting a size or shape of an arrangement of beams leaving the multileaf collimator.

21. A method of making a multileaf collimator comprising an array of leaves and slits, said array comprising an alternation of leaves and slits and extending in a longitudinal direction, said longitudinal direction being defined as a direction extending from an entrance plane of the array to an exit plane of the array, each leaf being located between two slits; the multileaf collimator including:
at least one leaf or at least one slit of the array has a thickness different from a thickness respectively of at least one other leaf or at least one other slit of the array in the entrance plane or exit plane of the array;
a thickness of at least one leaf and/or a thickness of at least one slit of the array varies in the longitudinal direction; and
and at least one slit/leaf interface of the array is parallel to at least another slit/leaf interface of

Assignees

• Centre Nat Rech Scient
• Univ Paris Sud
• Univ Paris Diderot

Inventors

• Prezado Yolanda
• Dos Santos Morgane
• Janvier Batiste

Classifications

• G21K1/025 Primary

  using multiple collimators, e.g. Bucky screens; other devices for eliminating undesired or dispersed radiation · CPC title

• H05G1/02

  Constructional details · CPC title

• A61N5/1045 Primary

  using a multi-leaf collimator, e.g. for intensity modulated radiation therapy or IMRT · CPC title