Abstract: Provided is a fully-spherical radiation therapy system. The fully-spherical radiation therapy system includes a multi-degree-of-freedom robot, a linear accelerator and a double-image-guided positioning mechanism. The double-image-guided positioning mechanism includes four ray sources and two ray detectors, and the four ray sources include a first ray source, a second ray source, a third ray source and a fourth ray source. An intersection of two beams emitted by the first ray source and the second ray source is a low-level treatment center, an intersection of two beams emitted by the third ray source and the fourth ray source is a high-level treatment center, and the low-level treatment center and the high-level treatment center form a fully-spherical treatment space for multiple treatment nodes of a spherical center.

Abstract: Provided is a fully-spherical radiation therapy system. The fully-spherical radiation therapy system includes a multi-degree-of-freedom robot, a linear accelerator and a double-image-guided positioning mechanism. The double-image-guided positioning mechanism includes four ray sources and two ray detectors, and the four ray sources include a first ray source, a second ray source, a third ray source and a fourth ray source. An intersection of two beams emitted by the first ray source and the second ray source is a low-level treatment center, an intersection of two beams emitted by the third ray source and the fourth ray source is a high-level treatment center, and the low-level treatment center and the high-level treatment center form a fully-spherical treatment space for multiple treatment nodes of a spherical center.

Abstract: A non-invasive method and system for using 2D angiographic images for radiosurgical target definition uses non-invasive calibration devices and methods to calibrate an angiographic imaging system and a six-parameter registration algorithm to register angiographic images with 3D scan data for radiation treatment planning.

Abstract: A non-invasive method and system for using 2D angiographic images for radiosurgical target definition uses non-invasive calibration devices and methods to calibrate an angiographic imaging system and a six-parameter registration algorithm to register angiographic images with 3D scan data for radiation treatment planning.

Abstract: A non-invasive method and system for using 2D angiographic images for radiosurgical target definition uses non-invasive calibration devices and methods to calibrate an angiographic imaging system and a six-parameter registration algorithm to register angiographic images with 3D scan data for radiation treatment planning.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for fiducial-less tracking of a volume of interest (VOI) have been presented. In some embodiments, a pair of intra-operative images of a portion of a patient is generated during treatment of a target region in the patient to show a bony structure of the patient. The bony structure shown is movable responsive to respiration of the patient. Then the pair of intra-operative images is compared with a set of digitally reconstructed radiograph (DRR) pairs, generated from volumes of four-dimensional (4D) diagnostic imaging data, to determine a location of the movable bony structure that corresponds to a particular volume of the 4D diagnostic imaging data.

Abstract: A system, method and apparatus for subtracting a synthetically-generated image, including a segmented anatomical feature, from an acquired image.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of tracking a patient using a virtual image.

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: Systems and methods for tracking cardiac targets are disclosed. The cardiac targets may be tracked dynamically. The process may include registering a cardiac target at different phases of a cardiac cycle. Movement of the cardiac target can be determined by correlating respiratory motion and cardiac pumping motion. Radiation treatment can then be delivered to the cardiac target taking into account the movement of the cardiac target.

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. A positioning system is instructed to adjust a relative position of a radiosurgical beam generator to said target by an amount prescribed by said 3D transformation parameters, wherein said target is allowed six degrees of freedom of position.

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 system for aligning a volume of interest in a three-dimensional treatment coordinate system with a reference position using stereoscopic imaging data and for monitoring and correcting alignment of the volume of interest in the three-dimensional treatment coordinate system using monoscopic imaging data.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods of dynamically tracking a soft tissue target with ultrasound images are described. An apparatus includes an ultrasound imager coupled to a robotic arm. A method includes acquiring a first ultrasound (US) image of a patient with an ultrasound imager, determining a quality metric of the first US image, and adjusting one or more imaging parameters of the ultrasound imager if the quality metric of the acquired first US image is less than a quality threshold.

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: 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 are presented for enhancing one or more images of an object, so as to increase the visibility within the images of one or more structures within the object. The object may be an anatomical region of a patient, and may include one or more reference structures, for example skeletal structures or vertebral structures, and one or more treatment targets, for example tumors or lesions. An operator, for example a top-hat filter operator, selects at least a first neighborhood and a second neighborhood within the images. The operator selects within each neighborhood one or more pixels having an optimal pixel value, and eliminates the remaining pixels in these neighborhoods. When the operator is applied to the selected neighborhoods, only the pixels having the greatest pixel values remain in the selected neighborhoods, and the remaining pixels are eliminated in the selected neighborhoods. As a result, desired features can be located and enhanced in the images.

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.