Abstract: Method and systems are disclosed for radiating a moving target inside a heart. The method includes acquiring sequential volumetric representations of an area of the heart and defining a target tissue region and/or a radiation sensitive structure region in 3D for a first of the representations. The target tissue region and/or radiation sensitive structure region are identified for another of the representations by an analysis of the area of the heart from the first representation and the other representation. Radiation beams to the target tissue region are fired in response to the identified target tissue region and/or radiation sensitive structure region from the other representation.

Abstract: Systems, methods and apparatus to detect a treatment target having motion in up to three translational directions using direct registration of the target and track the target to synchronize a treatment beam with the motion of the target.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to delineate a volume of interest structure on a three-dimensional medical image. The apparatus includes a data storage device to store the three dimensional image and a digital processing device to delineate the volume of interest structure of the three-dimensional image.

Abstract: A technique for rendering a deformable volume includes acquiring 3D images of a deformable volume including an object during phases of a deformation motion. The 3D images include voxels, a portion of which move from original coordinate locations during a primary phase to deformed coordinate locations during each subsequent phase of the deformation motion. Deformation matrixes each based upon one of the 3D images during a different one of the phases are generated. The deformation matrixes each include transformation vectors describing how to return the voxels from their deformed coordination locations to their original coordinate locations of the primary phase.

Abstract: Systems, methods and apparatus for directly tracking radiation targets during image-guided radiation treatment using 2D contouring and adaptive windowing.

Abstract: A technique for generating DRR (digitally reconstructed radiography) images includes dividing sample points along a ray trajectory through a 3-dimensional dataset of attenuation values into stages. Each of the stages includes a plurality of the sample points. The attenuation values are summed along the ray trajectory for each of the sample points. Intermediate summation values are computed for each of the stages along the ray trajectory and for each of the stages the attenuation values summed within a given stage are summed with a previous stage intermediate summation value calculated for a stage previous to the given stage to generate a given stage intermediate summation value. A final accumulation value being representative of a total attenuation summed along the ray trajectory is calculated.

Abstract: A method for precision registration of X-ray images to cone-beam CT scan for image-guided radiosurgery includes acquiring 2-D pre-treatment X-ray images of a region of interest, acquiring a 2-D X-ray image of the region of interest at approximately a time of treatment, registering the 2-D X-ray image with a corresponding 2-D pre-treatment X-ray image to obtain a 2-D registration result at approximately the time of treatment, and converting the 2-D registration result into a 3-D tracking result to track the region of interest.

Abstract: A method and system is presented for treating moving target regions in a patient's anatomy by creating radiosurgical lesions. The method includes determining a pulsating motion of a patient separately from a determining of a respiratory motion, and directing a radiosurgical beam, from a radiosurgical beam source, to a target in the patient based on the determining of the pulsating motion. Directing the radiosurgical beam to the target may include creating a lesion in the heart to inhibit atrial fibrillation. The method may further include determining the respiratory motion of the patient, and compensating for movement of the target, due to the respiratory motion and the pulsating motion of the patient, in the directing of the radiosurgical beam based on the determining of the respiratory motion and the determining of the pulsating motion.

Abstract: A method for registering 2-D radiographic images to 3-D volume studies includes generating digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs) from a 3-D volume study. The DRR's are used as reference images to register a patient's position during image-guided radiosurgery. Stereoscopic X-rays of the patient are acquired during treatment, and multi-phase registration is used to register the DRRs with the X-ray images in two or more projections.

Abstract: A method for precision registration of X-ray images to cone-beam CT scan for image-guided radiosurgery includes acquiring 2-D pre-treatment X-ray images of a region of interest, acquiring a 2-D X-ray image of the region of interest at approximately a time of treatment, registering the 2-D X-ray image with a corresponding 2-D pre-treatment X-ray image to obtain a 2-D registration result at approximately the time of treatment, and converting the 2-D registration result into a 3-D tracking result to track the region of interest.

Abstract: A set of 2D reconstructed images is generated from a pretreatment 3D scan showing an initial position of a target, wherein the set of 2D reconstructed images corresponds to perturbations from said initial position along fewer than six degrees of freedom. Said set of 2D reconstructed images are registered with one or more 2D x-ray images of said target showing a current position of the target, wherein the registering includes computing a set of 3D transformation parameters that represent a change in position of said target between said initial position of said pretreatment 3D scan and said current position of said 2D x-ray images along six degrees of freedom.

Abstract: A method of automatically generating an envelope of constraint points for a target region to optimize an inverse treatment plan by modifying the dose isocontour.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of dynamically tracking a soft tissue target with ultrasound images, without the use of fiducial markers. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes an ultrasound imager to generate a reference ultrasound and a first ultrasound image having a soft tissue target, and a processing device coupled to the ultrasound imager to receive the reference ultrasound image and the first ultrasound image, to register the first ultrasound image with the reference ultrasound image, and to determine a displacement of the soft tissue target based on registration of the first ultrasound image with the reference ultrasound image.

Abstract: An image-guided radiosurgery method and system are presented that use 2D/3D image registration to keep the radiosurgical beams properly focused onto a treatment target. A pre-treatment 3D scan of the target is generated at or near treatment planning time. A set of 2D DRRs are generated, based on the pre-treatment 3D scan. At least one 2D x-ray image of the target is generated in near real time during treatment. The DRRs are registered with the x-ray images, by computing a set of 3D transformation parameters that represent the change in target position between the 3D scan and the x-ray images. The relative position of the radiosurgical beams and the target is continuously adjusted in near real time in accordance with the 3D transformation parameters. A hierarchical and iterative 2D/3D registration algorithm is used, in which the transformation parameters that are in-plane with respect to the image plane of the x-ray images are computed separately from the out-of-plane transformation parameters.

Abstract: A treatment couch having a tabletop that has a radiolucent region, and a lower-torso assembly that has a first slide member coupled to a slot of the tabletop, a second slide member coupled to a slot of the first slide member, and a link member coupled to the first and second slide members. The lower-torso assembly may be configured to adjust a patient along a longitudinal direction relative to a shoulder line of the tabletop while the lower-torso assembly remains outside the radio lucent region of the tabletop.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for tracking a pathological anatomy within a patient's body is described. A data model of a skin surface of the patient's body may be acquired using light reflected from the skin surface. The data model can be matched with skin surfaces reconstructed and/or interpolated from four-dimensional (4D) diagnostic imaging data, such as 4D CT data, to determine a temporal phase of the patient's respiratory motion. The identified temporal phase may then be used in conjunction with the diagnostic imaging data to identify a location of the pathological anatomy within the patient's body.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of dynamically tracking a soft tissue target with ultrasound images, without the use of fiducial markers. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes an ultrasound imager to generate a reference ultrasound and a first ultrasound image having a soft tissue target, and a processing device coupled to the ultrasound imager to receive the reference ultrasound image and the first ultrasound image, to register the first ultrasound image with the reference ultrasound image, and to determine a displacement of the soft tissue target based on registration of the first ultrasound image with the reference ultrasound image.

Abstract: A method of automatically identifying a region of differing intensity in a functional image is described.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to optimize delivery of radiation treatment.

Abstract: A method and apparatus compares in-treatment X-ray images of a volume with pre-treatment reference images of the volume and determines a combined similarity measure. A combined registration search space is searched to maximize the combined similarity measure and to jointly register the in-treatment X-ray images with the pre-treatment images.