Radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device and method

Abstract

The invention discloses a radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device, which comprises a sensitive detector, a displacement unit, a front-end electronics read-out unit and a rear-end electronics control unit, and is characterized in that the displacement unit can drive the sensitive detector to move, so that the sensitive detector carries out scanning detection on a radiotherapy beam; the front-end electronics read-out unit collects and processes detection signals of the sensitive detector and transmits the signals to the rear-end electronics control unit, and the rear-end electronics control unit preprocesses and stores the signals and transmits the collected information to the upper computer unit to provide data and image support for making and executing subsequent radiotherapy plans. The sensitive detector has a high-precision two-dimensional imaging function, and the radiotherapy beam generation unit can be adjusted according to detection imaging information, so that the precision and effectiveness of the device are improved, and the treatment effect is enhanced. The invention further provides a radiotherapy beam scanning imaging method which utilizes the radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical equipment and peripheral supporting facilities thereof, and in particular to a radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device and method. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous advancement of radiotherapy technology, radiotherapy has entered the era of "three precisions", namely precise positioning, precise planning and precise treatment. During radiotherapy, although excessive radiation dose can kill tumor cells, it may also cause irreversible damage to surrounding normal cells, affecting the patient's health and quality of life. In order to achieve the established goal of maximizing the killing of tumor cells while maximizing the protection of normal tissue cells and reducing damage, the quality assurance of radiotherapy is crucial to ensure the safety, accuracy and effectiveness of treatment.

[0003] Usually, before the patient's treatment plan is implemented, the radiation dose is verified by dose testing equipment to ensure that the radiation therapy dose is consistent with the treatment plan. In the quality control of radiotherapy, the current more common instruments and equipment for detecting the radiation therapy beam dose distribution mainly include dose film, three-dimensional water tank or two-dimensional ionization chamber detector matrix, etc., to perform daily radiotherapy machine testing and patient radiation therapy plan before the implementation of the dose distribution verification.

[0004] Dose film has high resolution and is suitable for measuring areas with steep dose gradients. However, it has a low reusability rate and high cost. Different types of films have different dose responses and saturations. They need to be calibrated before use to obtain a grayscale-dose curve, and the post-processing of the film is complicated.

[0005] The three-dimensional water tank can quickly and automatically scan the relative dose distribution of the radiation in the water model, digitize the results, and automatically calculate the half-height width, penumbra, symmetry, flatness, maximum dose point depth and other parameters of the radiation. However, the three-dimensional water tank has strict technical requirements and a very sophisticated and complex structure. It is a very expensive radiotherapy device with a relatively large volume and needs to be filled with water when in use. Therefore, it is complicated to use and maintain and lacks portability.

[0006] The two-dimensional ionization chamber matrix is ​​highly accurate, reliable, and easy to use, and is playing an increasingly important role in the quality assurance system of radiotherapy. However, since it is a two-dimensional matrix, in order to ensure that the data can be read in real time, the size of the ionization chamber cannot be too small, and the number cannot be too large, which also leads to limited spatial resolution of dose monitoring. Summary of the invention

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device and method to solve the problems existing in the above-mentioned related technologies, improve the durability and consistency of the radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device, and have a simple structure and easy use.

[0008] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following solutions:

[0009] The present invention provides a radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device, comprising:

[0010] A sensitive detector capable of scanning, detecting and imaging the radiotherapy beam;

[0011] A displacement unit, wherein the displacement unit is connected to the sensitive detector and can drive the sensitive detector to reciprocate;

[0012] A front-end electronic readout unit, the front-end electronic readout unit is in communication connection with the sensitive detector, and the front-end electronic readout unit is capable of collecting detection signals of the sensitive detector;

[0013] A back-end electronic control unit is communicatively connected with the front-end electronic readout unit, and the back-end electronic control unit can realize the functions of collected data preprocessing, data storage, and transmission control.

[0014] Preferably, the sensitive detector is a microgrid gas detector, which includes a shell and an anode printed circuit board, a microgrid electrode, and a drift electrode arranged in the shell, the anode printed circuit board is communicatively connected to the front-end electronic readout unit, the microgrid electrode is arranged on the top of the anode printed circuit board, the air gap between the anode printed circuit board and the microgrid electrode forms an amplification zone, the air gap between the drift electrode and the microgrid electrode forms a drift zone, the shell has an air inlet and an air outlet to form a gas channel, the air inlet and the air outlet are respectively arranged on both sides of the shell and communicated with the inner cavity of the shell.

[0015] Preferably, the anode printed circuit board is connected to the front-end electronics readout unit using a flexible connection line.

[0016] Preferably, the microgrid gas detector adopts a multi-row pixel readout method, and the pixel size ranges from 0.1 mm to 10 mm.

[0017] Preferably, the sensitive detector is an electron multiplier, a resistive micro-well detector or a resistive micro-groove detector.

[0018] Preferably, the displacement unit can drive the sensitive detector to reciprocate along a plane perpendicular to the radiotherapy beam, so that the sensitive detector can scan and detect the radiotherapy beam.

[0019] Preferably, the displacement unit includes a displacement driver, a bearing element and a track, the output end of the displacement driver is transmission-connected to the bearing element, the sensitive detector is arranged on the bearing element, the bearing element has a slider adapted to the track, the slider is slidably arranged on the track, and the track is arranged on a mounting base.

[0020] Preferably, the displacement unit further comprises a displacement control element, and the displacement control element is communicatively connected with the displacement driver to control the working state of the displacement driver, thereby achieving the purpose of adjusting the motion state of the bearing element.

[0021] Preferably, the front-end electronic readout unit adopts a current readout chip; the back-end electronic control unit adopts an FPGA integrated circuit to achieve the purpose of collecting data preprocessing, data storage, and transmission control. The back-end electronic control unit can also transmit data to a host computer unit.

[0022] The present invention also provides a radiotherapy beam scanning imaging method, which utilizes the above-mentioned radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device, including the following steps: the displacement unit drives the sensitive detector to move, so that the sensitive detector scans and detects the radiotherapy beam, the front-end electronic readout unit collects the signal of the sensitive detector and transmits the signal to the back-end electronic control unit, the back-end electronic control unit pre-processes and stores the signal, and transmits the collected information to the host computer unit; the sensitive detector has a two-dimensional imaging function, and the radiotherapy beam generating unit can be adjusted according to the detected imaging information.

[0023] Compared with the related art, the present invention has achieved the following technical effects: the radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device of the present invention includes a sensitive detector, a displacement unit, a front-end electronic readout unit and a back-end electronic control unit, the sensitive detector can scan, detect and image the radiotherapy beam; the displacement unit is connected to the sensitive detector, and the displacement unit can drive the sensitive detector to reciprocate; the front-end electronic readout unit is communicatively connected to the sensitive detector, and the front-end electronic readout unit can collect the detection signal of the sensitive detector; the back-end electronic control unit is communicatively connected to the front-end electronic readout unit, and the back-end electronic control unit can realize the functions of collected data preprocessing, data storage and transmission control.

[0024] When the radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device of the present invention is working, the displacement unit can drive the sensitive detector to move, so that the sensitive detector scans and detects the radiotherapy beam, and the front-end electronic readout unit collects the detection signal of the sensitive detector and transmits the processed signal to the back-end electronic control unit. The back-end electronic control unit pre-processes and stores the signal to provide data and image support for the formulation and execution of subsequent radiotherapy plans. The sensitive detector has a high-precision two-dimensional imaging function, and the radiotherapy beam generation unit can be adjusted according to the detected imaging information, thereby improving the accuracy and effectiveness of the device and enhancing the treatment effect. Compared with dose film, the radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device of the present invention has better durability and consistency; compared with the three-dimensional water tank, the present invention has a simpler structure, is convenient and quick to use, and has a lower cost and maintenance cost; compared with the two-dimensional ionization chamber matrix, the present invention can design the pixel size to be smaller and have a higher spatial resolution.

[0025] At the same time, the present invention also provides a radiotherapy beam scanning imaging method. By using the above-mentioned radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device, naturally, the radiotherapy beam scanning imaging method of the present invention can also achieve the above-mentioned beneficial effects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or related technologies, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0027] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a micro-grid gas detector of a radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] In the figure: 1, sensitive detector; 101, housing; 102, anode printed circuit board; 103, drift electrode; 104, microgrid electrode; 105, drift region; 106, air inlet; 107, air outlet;

[0030] 2. Displacement unit;

[0031] 3. Front-end electronics readout unit;

[0032] 4. Back-end electronics control unit;

[0033] 5. Flexible connecting wire. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device and method to solve the problems existing in the above-mentioned related technologies, improve the durability and consistency of the radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device, and have a simple structure and easy use.

[0036] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0037] Embodiment 1

[0038] This embodiment provides a radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device, please refer to Figure 1-Figure 2 , including a sensitive detector 1, a displacement unit 2, a front-end electronic readout unit 3 and a back-end electronic control unit 4. The sensitive detector 1 can scan, detect and image the radiotherapy beam; the displacement unit 2 is connected to the sensitive detector 1, and the displacement unit 2 can drive the sensitive detector 1 to reciprocate; the front-end electronic readout unit 3 is communicated with the sensitive detector 1, and the front-end electronic readout unit 3 can collect the detection signal of the sensitive detector 1; the back-end electronic control unit 4 is communicated with the front-end electronic readout unit 3, and the back-end electronic control unit 4 can realize the functions of data preprocessing, data storage and transmission control; the back-end electronic control unit 4 can also be communicated with the radiotherapy beam generating unit to enable the radiotherapy beam generating unit to adjust according to the detection information.

[0039] When the radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device of the present invention is working, the displacement unit 2 can drive the sensitive detector to move, so that the sensitive detector scans and detects the radiotherapy beam, the front-end electronic readout unit 3 collects the detection signal of the sensitive detector 1, and transmits the processed signal to the back-end electronic control unit 4, the back-end electronic control unit 4 can pre-process and store the signal, and transmit the collected information to the host unit, and finally transmit it to the radiotherapy beam generating unit, which is convenient for the formulation and execution of the subsequent radiotherapy plan. The radiotherapy beam generating unit can be adjusted according to the detection information, thereby improving the accuracy and effectiveness of the device and enhancing the treatment effect. Compared with the dose film, the radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device of the present invention has better durability and consistency; compared with the three-dimensional water tank, the present invention has a simpler structure, is convenient and quick to use, and has a lower cost and maintenance cost; compared with the two-dimensional ionization chamber matrix, the present invention can design the pixel size to be smaller and have a higher spatial resolution. It needs to be explained here that the radiotherapy beam generating unit is common knowledge of those skilled in the art and will not be repeated here.

[0040] In this specific embodiment, the sensitive detector 1 is a microgrid gas detector, which includes a shell 101 and an anode printed circuit board 102, a drift electrode 103, and a microgrid electrode 104 arranged in the shell 101. The anode printed circuit board 102 is communicatively connected to the front-end electronic readout unit 3. The microgrid electrode 104 is arranged on the upper surface of the anode printed circuit board 102. The air gap between the anode printed circuit board 102 and the microgrid electrode 104 forms an amplification area. The air gap between the drift electrode 103 and the microgrid electrode 104 forms a drift area 105. The shell 101 has an air inlet 106 and an air outlet 107 to form a gas channel. The air inlet 106 and the air outlet 107 are respectively arranged on both sides of the shell 101 and are connected to the inner cavity of the shell 101. In the gas flow state, the shell 101 can be filled with working gas. During operation, the drift electrode 103 and the microgrid electrode 104 are connected to high voltage power supplies of different potentials. When the particles enter the drift region 105, they interact with the working gas to generate ionization. The ionized electrons drift to the microgrid electrode 104 under the action of the electric field. The electrons reach the amplification region (strong electric field region) between the microgrid electrode 104 and the anode printed circuit board 102. Under the action of the strong electric field, the electrons undergo cascade avalanche amplification in the working gas, generating more electrons, which sense and collect charge signals on the anode printed circuit board 102 and are collected by the front-end electronics readout unit 3. The microgrid gas detector can effectively detect and amplify the electrical signals generated by the incident particles. It is applied to the radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device of the present invention, which is conducive to improving the accuracy and effectiveness of the device. The device has a simple structure and is easy to operate, which greatly improves the adaptability of the device.

[0041] It should also be noted that in this specific embodiment, the microgrid electrode 104 is formed by weaving a wire mesh of stainless steel wire, the wire diameter of the wire mesh ranges from 10μm to 30μm, and the tension of the wire mesh is not less than 20N / cm. In practical applications, preferably, a wire mesh with a wire diameter of 24μm and a wire mesh tension of 35N / cm can be used; the wire mesh is crimped with the anode printed circuit board 102, and the crimped wire mesh and the surface of the anode printed circuit board 102 form a uniform air gap, the air gap thickness is 50μm to 800μm, preferably, a 100μm thick air gap can be used, and this air gap is used as the signal amplification area of ​​the detector. At a position of about 3mm to 10mm above the stainless steel wire mesh, a layer of metal conductive film is used as a drift electrode 103, and a drift region 105 is formed between the drift electrode 103 and the wire mesh, which is suspended on the upper cover of the housing 101. The housing 101 adopts a split structure, which facilitates the installation of the detector. In addition, the shell 101 can be made of aluminum to provide stable support for the internal structure of the detector. At the same time, the aluminum shell 101 has good electromagnetic shielding performance and improves electromagnetic compatibility. The shell 101 ensures that the detector has good sealing performance, prevents external gases and pollutants from entering the detector, and ensures the working performance and service life of the detector.

[0042] Specifically, the anode printed circuit board 102 is connected to the front-end electronic readout unit 3 by means of a flexible connection line 5, which ensures that the sensitive detector 1 is normally connected to the front-end electronic readout unit 3 in communication, and at the same time, the flexible connection line 5 is used to avoid affecting the reciprocating motion of the sensitive detector 1. In practical applications, the flexible connection line 5 can preferably adopt a flexible PCB process of a polyimide substrate, a flexible flat cable, etc., which has the advantages of being light, flexible and high-performance, and further improves the flexible adaptability of the device.

[0043] It is also necessary to emphasize that the micro-grid gas detector adopts a multi-row pixel readout method with a pixel size range of 0.1mm to 10mm. In practical applications, preferably, 4 rows with 192 pixels in each row can be used for readout, using 1mm×1mm pixel units. The micro-grid gas detector signal is led out to the front-end electronic readout unit 3 through a flexible connecting line 5; in practical applications, the specific pixel unit size and the number of pixel rows can be adjusted and selected according to specific working conditions to meet different detection needs.

[0044] In practical applications, the sensitive detector 1 may also select an electron multiplier, a resistive micro-well detector or a resistive micro-groove detector to meet the needs of different types of devices, adapt to various specific working conditions, and enhance the flexibility and adaptability of the device.

[0045] More specifically, the displacement unit 2 can drive the sensitive detector 1 to reciprocate along a plane perpendicular to the radiotherapy beam, so that the sensitive detector 1 can scan and detect the radiotherapy beam, collect data through the front-end electronic readout unit 3 and the back-end electronic control unit 4, and analyze and reconstruct the beam cross-sectional distribution image, thereby realizing the radiotherapy beam dose distribution detection, and providing strong guarantee for the formulation and implementation of subsequent radiotherapy plans.

[0046] In this specific embodiment, the displacement unit 2 includes a displacement driver, a bearing element and a track. The output end of the displacement driver is connected to the bearing element by transmission. The sensitive detector 1 is arranged on the bearing element. The bearing element has a slider adapted to the track. The slider is slidably arranged on the track. The bearing element drives the sensitive detector 1 to slide back and forth, so that the sensitive detector 1 can reciprocate in a plane perpendicular to the radiotherapy beam. The direction of the track is perpendicular to the radiotherapy beam. The bearing element has a slider adapted to the track, which improves the movement accuracy of the bearing element and ensures the working reliability of the device. It should also be noted that the track is arranged on an installation base. The installation base can be an installation base such as the installation ground or other installation platform of the radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device of the present invention, or other components of the radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device can be selected as the installation base of the displacement unit 2. Selecting a suitable installation base is a common method for those skilled in the art and will not be repeated here.

[0047] It is also necessary to explain here that the movement direction of the supporting element depends on the displacement requirement of the sensitive detector 1. In the present specific embodiment, there are two groups of tracks, and the directions of the two groups of tracks are perpendicular to each other. For example, a first track is arranged on the installation base, and the first slider is slidably arranged in the first track. The first slider is provided with a second track, and the second slider is slidably arranged in the second track, and the sliding direction of the first slider is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the second slider. The second slider is connected to the supporting element, and the first slider is combined with the second slider to enable the supporting element to adjust its position in the plane. The sensitive detector 1 is arranged on the supporting element, thereby meeting the detection requirements of the sensitive detector 1, enabling it to adjust its position in a plane perpendicular to the radiotherapy beam, thereby ensuring the detection reliability of the sensitive detector 1.

[0048] In other specific embodiments of the present invention, the displacement unit 2 further includes a displacement control element, which is in communication with the displacement driver to control the working state of the displacement driver, thereby achieving the purpose of adjusting the motion state of the bearing element. In practical applications, the displacement driver can be driven by a servo motor with a movement accuracy higher than 100 μm.

[0049] Furthermore, the front-end electronic readout unit 3 uses a current readout chip, for example, a current signal digitization chip is used to realize basic functions, preferably, such as ADAS1128, etc.; the back-end electronic control unit 4 uses an FPGA integrated circuit to realize the purpose of collecting data preprocessing, data storage, and transmission control, and the back-end electronic control unit 4 can also transmit data to the host computer unit. The back-end electronic control unit 4 is responsible for summarizing the scientific data of the front-end electronic readout unit 3. The back-end electronic control unit 4 uses a programmable device to realize the basic functions of controlling the coordinated work of each module of multiple front-end electronic readout units 3 and summarizing data, preferably, such as FPGA, etc. The back-end electronic control unit 4 realizes the communication function based on standard communication protocols and universal interface modules, preferably, such as Gigabit Ethernet and USB 3.0, etc.

[0050] Embodiment 2

[0051] This embodiment provides a radiotherapy beam scanning imaging method, using the radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device of embodiment 1, including the following steps: the displacement unit 2 drives the sensitive detector 1 to move, so that the sensitive detector 1 scans and detects the radiotherapy beam, the front-end electronic readout unit 3 collects the signal of the sensitive detector 1, and transmits the signal to the back-end electronic control unit 4, the back-end electronic control unit 4 pre-processes and stores the signal, and transmits the collected information to the host unit, providing data and image support for the formulation and execution of subsequent radiotherapy plans. The sensitive detector 1 has a high-precision two-dimensional imaging function, and the radiotherapy beam generation unit can be adjusted according to the detected imaging information.

[0052] Compared with dose film, the radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device of the present invention has better durability and consistency; compared with the three-dimensional water tank, the radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device of the present invention has a simpler structure, is convenient and quick to use, and has lower cost and maintenance cost; compared with the two-dimensional ionization chamber matrix, the present invention can design the pixel size to be smaller and has higher spatial resolution. The radiotherapy beam scanning imaging method of the present invention is conducive to improving the detection accuracy.

[0053] The present invention uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The above examples are only used to help understand the method and core ideas of the present invention. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the ideas of the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

Claims

1. A radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device, characterized in that: include: A sensitive detector capable of scanning, detecting and imaging the radiotherapy beam; A displacement unit, wherein the displacement unit is connected to the sensitive detector and can drive the sensitive detector to reciprocate; A front-end electronic readout unit, the front-end electronic readout unit is in communication connection with the sensitive detector, and the front-end electronic readout unit is capable of collecting detection signals of the sensitive detector; A back-end electronic control unit is communicatively connected with the front-end electronic readout unit, and the back-end electronic control unit can realize the functions of collected data preprocessing, data storage, and transmission control.

2. The radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sensitive detector is a microgrid gas detector, which includes a shell and an anode printed circuit board, a microgrid electrode, and a drift electrode arranged in the shell. The anode printed circuit board is communicatively connected to the front-end electronic readout unit. The microgrid electrode is arranged on the top of the anode printed circuit board. The air gap between the anode printed circuit board and the microgrid electrode forms an amplification area. The air gap between the drift electrode and the microgrid electrode forms a drift area. The shell has an air inlet and an air outlet to form a gas channel. The air inlet and the air outlet are respectively arranged on both sides of the shell and are connected to the inner cavity of the shell.

3. The radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The anode printed circuit board is connected to the front-end electronics readout unit using a flexible connection line.

4. The radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The microgrid gas detector adopts a multi-row pixel readout method, and the pixel size range is 0.1mm to 10mm.

5. The radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sensitive detector is an electron multiplier, a resistive micro-well detector or a resistive micro-groove detector.

6. The radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The displacement unit can drive the sensitive detector to reciprocate along a plane perpendicular to the radiotherapy beam, so that the sensitive detector can scan and detect the radiotherapy beam.

7. The radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The displacement unit includes a displacement driver, a bearing element and a track. The output end of the displacement driver is transmission-connected to the bearing element. The sensitive detector is arranged on the bearing element. The bearing element has a slider adapted to the track. The slider is slidably arranged on the track. The track is arranged on a mounting base.

8. The radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The displacement unit further includes a displacement control element, which is in communication with the displacement driver to control the working state of the displacement driver, thereby achieving the purpose of adjusting the motion state of the bearing element.

9. The radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front-end electronic readout unit adopts a current readout chip; the back-end electronic control unit adopts an FPGA integrated circuit to achieve the purpose of collecting data preprocessing, data storage, and transmission control. The back-end electronic control unit can also transmit data to a host computer unit.

10. A radiotherapy beam scanning imaging method, characterized in that: Using the radiotherapy beam scanning imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising the following steps: The displacement unit drives the sensitive detector to move, so that the sensitive detector scans and detects the radiotherapy beam. The front-end electronic readout unit collects the signal of the sensitive detector and transmits the signal to the back-end electronic control unit. The back-end electronic control unit pre-processes and stores the signal and transmits the collected information to the host computer unit. The sensitive detector has a two-dimensional imaging function, and the radiotherapy beam generating unit can be adjusted according to the detected imaging information.

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