Method and apparatus for employing a multi-leaf collimator in administering radiation therapy treatments

Abstract

A control circuit for administering a radiation therapy plan by modulating a radiation beam using at least one high resolution aperture formed using one of a plurality of linearly sequential high resolution aperture possibilities, the The radiation therapy plan specifies the planned total radiation dose for the radiation therapy session. By one approach, the foregoing includes modulating the radiation beam at least substantially only with high resolution apertures formed using a plurality of linearly sequential high resolution aperture possibilities. In some cases, the foregoing may include administering a radiation therapy plan using at least two separate radiation exposures for only a single treatment field, in which case, by one approach, separate radiation exposures for a single treatment field Each of the radiation exposures may include modulating the radiation beam at least substantially only using the high resolution aperture.

Description

technical field [0001] These teachings relate generally to the administration of therapeutic doses of radiation, and more specifically to the use of multi-leaf collimators. Background technique [0002] Multi-leaf collimators are composed of individual parts (called "leaves") formed from an atomically high material such as tungsten that can be moved in and out of the path of the radiation therapy beam in order to selectively block (and thus shape) the beam. Typically, the leaves of a multi-leaf collimator are organized in pairs that are collinearly aligned relative to each other and that can be selectively moved toward and away from each other via controlled motors. A typical multi-leaf collimator has many pairs of such leaves, often up to twenty, fifty, or even a hundred such pairs. [0003] By delivering the treatment radiation beam through the aperture(s) of the multi-leaf collimator, the radiation beam can be modulated to better match the dosing requirements of the tre...

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Problems solved by technology

[0004] Although conventional multi-leaf collimators represent a vast improvement in better shaping radiation beams to meet such requirements, it remains true that, at least some of the time, the resulting beam shapes do not fully satisfy these requirements. Require

This disadvantage usually arises according to the maximum resolution at which the multi-leaf collimator can shape the beam

When the leaves of a multi-leaf collimator have a cross-sectional dimension generally normal to the incident beam, such as 1.0 cm, this dimension imposes a corresponding limit on the resolving power of the collimator

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