Source cartridge and treatment head

Abstract

The utility model discloses a source box and a treatment head, relates to the technical field of radiotherapy equipment, and aims to solve the problems that in the process of replacing a radioactive source, the radiotherapy equipment needs to be shut down for a long time, and implementation of a treatment plan is affected; and in addition, a radiation risk exists in the process of exporting the old radioactive source, and the exported old radioactive source still has activity, so that the problems of resource waste and cost increase are also caused. The source box comprises a source box base body and a plurality of containing holes, and the containing holes are distributed in the source box base body and used for containing radioactive sources. And the plurality of accommodating holes comprise a main accommodating hole for filling the radioactive source for the first time and an auxiliary accommodating hole for supplementing the radioactive source, so that the dose adjustment of the source box is realized. According to the source box, the radioactive source can be supplemented through the auxiliary containing hole, so that dosage adjustment is achieved.

Description

Source Box and Healing Head Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of radiotherapy equipment technology, and in particular to a source cartridge and a treatment head. Background Technology

[0002] Radiotherapy equipment uses radiation to treat malignant tumors and some benign diseases, such as using gamma rays. The radiation source of radiotherapy equipment is usually placed in a source container for transportation and use. To meet the needs of radiotherapy, the focal dose rate of the radiation source in the radiotherapy equipment is usually greater than 3 Gy / min after the radiation source is initially installed.

[0003] In related technologies, the source cartridge of radiotherapy equipment is usually a single, integrated component. To ensure treatment effectiveness, once the focal dose rate of the radiation source in the radiotherapy equipment decays to 1.5 Gy / min, the radiation source in the source cartridge needs to be replaced. This involves extracting and recovering the old radiation source, purchasing and installing a new radiation source. During the replacement process, the radiotherapy equipment needs to be shut down for an extended period, which affects the implementation of the treatment plan. Recovering a radiation source that still has a focal dose rate of 1.5 Gy / min not only adds an extraction step and poses radiation risks during the extraction process, but also results in resource waste and increased costs because the extracted old radiation source is still active. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a source cartridge and a treatment head, which aims to solve the problems that radiotherapy equipment needs to be shut down for a long time during the replacement of the radiation source, affecting the implementation of the treatment plan; and that the process of removing the old radiation source poses a radiation risk, and the removed old radiation source is still active, thus causing resource waste and increasing costs.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a source cartridge, comprising: a source cartridge base; and a plurality of receiving holes distributed on the source cartridge base for accommodating a radioactive source; the plurality of receiving holes including a main receiving hole for initial filling of the radioactive source and a secondary receiving hole for supplementing the radioactive source, so as to achieve dose adjustment of the source cartridge.

[0007] When initially installing a radiation source into the treatment head of a radiotherapy device, a source cartridge filled with the radiation source in the main receiving port can be fixed to the treatment head to ensure that the focal dose rate of the treatment head reaches the first preset dose rate, meeting the needs of radiotherapy. After a period of use, the focal dose rate of the treatment head will gradually decrease to less than or equal to the second preset dose rate, leading to a deterioration in the therapeutic effect of the radiotherapy device. At this point, by filling the secondary receiving port with a radiation source or adjusting the dose of the radiation source placed in the receiving port, the focal dose rate of the treatment head can be increased to the target dose rate, thereby improving the therapeutic effect of the radiotherapy device. This allows for full utilization of the radiation source, reducing the cost of purchasing radiation sources for users; it also reduces the steps involved in removing the radiation source, lowering the radiation risk. In addition, the time required to replenish the radiation source into the radiotherapy device is short, eliminating the need for prolonged downtime of the radiotherapy device and minimizing the impact on the implementation of the treatment plan.

[0008] In some embodiments, the source cartridge is a detachable source cartridge, and the source cartridge base includes: a first source cartridge and a second source cartridge detachably connected to the first source cartridge, the first source cartridge including a main receiving hole and the second source cartridge including a secondary receiving hole.

[0009] In some embodiments, in a first direction, the first source box includes a first sub-source box and a second sub-source box arranged in parallel, the first sub-source box and the second sub-source box being detachably connected by a mounting portion; the second source box is disposed between the first sub-source box and the second sub-source box, and is parallel to the first sub-source box and the second sub-source box.

[0010] In some embodiments, the second source box, the first sub-source box, and the second sub-source box are each provided with a row of receiving holes arranged along a second direction, which is perpendicular to the first direction.

[0011] In some embodiments, the second source box is provided with a limiting notch, and the mounting part is engaged in the limiting notch.

[0012] In some embodiments, the number of receiving holes in the second source box, the first sub-source box, and the second sub-source box is equal.

[0013] In some embodiments, the central axis of the receiving hole on the first source cartridge is parallel to the central axis of the receiving hole on the second source cartridge and perpendicular to the first direction; along the first direction, the central axis of the receiving hole on the first source cartridge and the central axis of the receiving hole on the second source cartridge are staggered.

[0014] In some embodiments, the source cartridge is an integral source cartridge, which includes multiple rows of parallel receiving holes, and the dose of the radiation source placed in the receiving holes is adjustable.

[0015] In some embodiments, multiple rows of receiving holes are spaced apart in a first direction, and each row of receiving holes is arranged along a second direction, which is perpendicular to the first direction; along the first direction, the central axes of the multiple rows of receiving holes are staggered.

[0016] Secondly, this application provides a treatment head for use in a radiotherapy device, comprising: a treatment head body and a source cartridge fixed to the treatment head body, wherein the source cartridge is the source cartridge in any of the above embodiments.

[0017] Thirdly, this application provides a method for loading a treatment head according to the above embodiments, comprising: fixing a source cartridge containing a radiation source in a main receiving hole onto the treatment head so that the focal dose rate of the treatment head reaches a first preset dose rate; when the focal dose rate of the treatment head decreases to less than or equal to a second preset dose rate, filling a radiation source into a secondary receiving hole of the source cartridge or adjusting the dose of the radiation source placed in the receiving hole, and then fixing the source cartridge onto the treatment head so that the focal dose rate of the treatment head reaches a target dose rate.

[0018] Fourthly, this application provides a method for mounting a source in the treatment head described in the above embodiments. The source cartridge is a detachable source cartridge. The method includes: fixing a first source cartridge filled with a radiation source to the treatment head so that the focal dose rate of the treatment head reaches a first preset dose rate; when the focal dose rate of the treatment head decreases to less than or equal to a second preset dose rate, snapping a second source cartridge filled with a radiation source onto the mounting portion of the first source cartridge, and then fixing the combined source cartridge to the treatment head so that the focal dose rate of the treatment head reaches a target dose rate.

[0019] The technical effects of any of the embodiments in the second to fourth aspects described above can be found in the technical effects of the corresponding embodiments in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a source box provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 2 is an exploded view of another source box provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a first source box provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the source box shown in Figure 2;

[0025] Figure 5 is a flowchart of the steps of a method for loading a treatment head according to an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 6 is a flowchart of another method for loading a treatment head according to an embodiment of this application.

[0027] Figure label:

[0028] 100-Source box; 1-Source box base; 11-First source box; 111-First sub-source box; 112-Second sub-source box; 113-Mounting part; 12-Second source box; 121-Limiting notch; 2-Accommodation hole; 21-Main accommodation hole; 22-Secondary accommodation hole. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0030] It should be noted that in practical applications, due to limitations in equipment precision or installation errors, achieving absolute parallelism or perpendicularity is difficult. The descriptions of "perpendicular," "parallel," or "in the same direction" in this application are not absolute limitations, but rather indicate that a vertical or parallel structural arrangement can be achieved within a preset error range, achieving the corresponding preset effect. This maximizes the technical effect of the defined features and makes the corresponding technical solution easy to implement, possessing high feasibility. For example, "perpendicular" includes absolute perpendicularity and near-perpendicularity, where the acceptable deviation range for near-perpendicularity can be, for example, within 5°. "Parallel" includes absolute parallelism and near-parallelism, where the acceptable deviation range for near-parallelism can also be, for example, within 5°. "In the same direction" includes absolute same direction and near-same direction, where the acceptable deviation range for near-same direction can also be, for example, within 5°.

[0031] In the description of the embodiments of this application, "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this utility model, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more.

[0032] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "communication" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection. They can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or a communication between the internal components of two elements. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.

[0033] In the description of embodiments of this application, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0034] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this utility model should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design options. Specifically, the use of the words "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0035] Radiotherapy equipment uses radiation to treat malignant tumors and some benign diseases, such as using gamma rays. The radiation source of radiotherapy equipment is usually housed in a source container for transportation and use. To meet the needs of radiotherapy, after the initial installation of the radiation source, the focal dose rate of the radiation source in the radiotherapy equipment is usually greater than 3 Gy / min. Once the focal dose rate of the radiation source in the radiotherapy equipment decays to 1.5 Gy / min, the radiation source in the source container needs to be replaced to ensure treatment efficiency and effectiveness.

[0036] In related technologies, the source cartridge of radiotherapy equipment is usually a single, integrated component. When the focal dose rate of the radiation source in the radiotherapy equipment decays to 1.5 Gy / min, the old radiation source in the cartridge needs to be retrieved and replaced with a new one. This replacement process requires prolonged downtime of the radiotherapy equipment, impacting treatment planning. Retrieving a radiation source still with a focal dose rate of 1.5 Gy / min not only adds the retrieval step and poses radiation risks, but also results in resource waste and increased costs due to the still-active old radiation source. Furthermore, supplementing the radiation source can meet different dose requirements and allow for customized solutions for various application scenarios.

[0037] Based on this, embodiments of this application provide a source cartridge, a treatment head, and a method for loading the treatment head with a source, which addresses the problems that radiotherapy equipment needs to be shut down for a long time during the replacement of a radioactive source, affecting the implementation of the treatment plan; and that the process of exporting the old radioactive source poses radiation risks, wastes resources, and increases costs.

[0038] Referring to Figure 1, this embodiment of the application provides a source cartridge 100, which includes a source cartridge base 1 and a plurality of receiving holes 2. The plurality of receiving holes 2 are distributed on the source cartridge base 1 for accommodating a radiation source. The radiation source can be a source with a small active surface (e.g., a columnar radiation source with an active surface diameter less than or equal to 3.6 mm) to obtain higher focal quality, such as a low dose rate, less leakage, and can also improve the accuracy of the radiation field and reduce penumbra.

[0039] The multiple receiving holes 2 include a main receiving hole 21 for initial filling of the radioactive source and a secondary receiving hole 22 for supplementing the radioactive source, which enables dose adjustment of the source cartridge 100.

[0040] When a radiation source is initially installed on the treatment head of a radiotherapy device, a source cartridge 100 filled with the radiation source in the main receiving hole 21 can be fixed to the treatment head to ensure that the focal dose rate of the treatment head reaches a first preset dose rate to meet the needs of radiotherapy. After a period of use, the focal dose rate of the treatment head will gradually decrease to less than or equal to a second preset dose rate, resulting in a deterioration in the treatment effect of the radiotherapy device. At this time, by filling the secondary receiving hole 22 with a radiation source or adjusting the dose of the radiation source placed in the receiving hole 2, the focal dose rate of the treatment head can be increased to the target dose rate to improve the treatment effect of the radiotherapy device. This allows for full utilization of the radiation source, reducing the cost of purchasing radiation sources for users; it also reduces the steps of removing radiation sources, reducing radiation risks. In addition, the time required to replenish the radiation source into the radiotherapy device is short, eliminating the need for long-term shutdown of the radiotherapy device and reducing the impact on the implementation of the treatment plan.

[0041] It should be noted that the second preset dose rate is less than or equal to the first preset dose rate, and the target dose rate is greater than the second preset dose rate. In other words, when the focal dose rate of the treatment head decays to a level that cannot meet treatment needs, a radiation source can be added to the secondary receiving port 22 or the dose of the radiation source placed in the receiving port 2 can be adjusted to restore the focal dose rate of the treatment head; alternatively, when the focal dose rate of the treatment head does not show significant decay, a radiation source can be added to the secondary receiving port 22 or the dose of the radiation source placed in the receiving port 2 can be adjusted to increase the focal dose rate of the treatment head, thus meeting diverse customer needs.

[0042] The first preset dose rate can be set to be greater than or equal to 3 Gy / min, for example, it can be any one of 3 Gy / min, 3.5 Gy / min, 4 Gy / min, 4.5 Gy / min, and 5 Gy / min. The second preset dose rate can be set to be greater than or equal to 1.5 Gy / min, for example, it can be any one of 1.5 Gy / min, 1.75 Gy / min, 2 Gy / min, 2.25 Gy / min, 2.5 Gy / min, 2.75 Gy / min, and 3 Gy / min. The target dose rate can be set to be greater than or equal to 3 Gy / min, for example, it can be any one of 3 Gy / min, 3.5 Gy / min, 4 Gy / min, 4.5 Gy / min, and 5 Gy / min.

[0043] In some embodiments, the source cartridge 100 includes multiple rows of parallel receiving holes 2, the dose of which is adjustable for the radioactive source placed in the receiving holes 2. This allows for the selection of filling the receiving holes 2 with the same or different doses of radioactive sources to achieve dose adjustment of the source cartridge 100, thus meeting diverse customer needs.

[0044] To adjust the dose of the radioactive source placed in the receiving hole 2, the receiving hole 2 can be configured to accommodate columnar radioactive sources of different heights extending along the central axis of the receiving hole 2. This allows for adjustment of the dose of the radioactive source placed in the receiving hole 2 by selecting radioactive sources of different heights to fill each receiving hole 2. It is understood that before attenuation begins, the higher the height of the columnar radioactive source, the higher the dose.

[0045] It should be noted that this application does not specify a particular height for the columnar radioactive source; for example, the height of the columnar radioactive source may be 16 mm. Furthermore, the height of the columnar radioactive sources filling each receiving hole 2 can be the same or different, depending on the actual situation.

[0046] As exemplarily shown in FIG1, the source cartridge 100 includes multiple rows of parallel receiving holes 2, which are spaced apart in a first direction X. Each row of receiving holes 2 is arranged along a second direction Y, which is perpendicular to the first direction X. This application does not specifically limit the number of receiving holes 2 on the source cartridge 100. For example, the source cartridge 100 has three rows of parallel receiving holes 2, wherein each row includes 10 or 16 receiving holes 2.

[0047] Based on this, in order to reduce damage to normal tissues during treatment, the central axes of the multiple rows of receiving holes 2 on the source cartridge 100 can be staggered in the first direction X. This ensures that during the arc drawing process, the incident areas of the radiation sources in each receiving hole 2 on the source cartridge 100 are not overlapping. In other words, after the radiation emitted from the source cartridge 100 rotates one revolution with the gantry of the radiotherapy equipment, the planes traced by the central axis of the conical beam emitted from each individual receiving hole 2 are not in the same plane.

[0048] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG1, the source cartridge 100 is an integral source cartridge, that is, the source cartridge 100 is a separate component.

[0049] In the above embodiments, the integrated source cartridge includes multiple rows of parallel receiving holes, and the dose of the radioactive source placed in the receiving holes is adjustable. For columnar radioactive sources, dose adjustment can typically be achieved by selecting radioactive sources with the same filling diameter but different heights, or by selecting radioactive sources with different filling diameters but the same height.

[0050] In other embodiments, as shown in FIG2, the source cartridge 100 is a detachable source cartridge, that is, the source cartridge base 1 is composed of multiple detachable connecting components. In this case, receiving holes 2 can be provided on at least two components.

[0051] For example, the source cartridge base 1 includes a first source cartridge 11 and a second source cartridge 12, which are detachably connected. Both the first source cartridge 11 and the second source cartridge 12 can be provided with receiving holes 2. For example, the first source cartridge 11 includes a main receiving hole 21, and the second source cartridge 12 includes a secondary receiving hole 22; that is, the main receiving hole 21 is provided on the first source cartridge 11, and the secondary receiving hole 22 is provided on the second source cartridge 12.

[0052] In this scenario, when the radiation source is initially installed on the treatment head of the radiotherapy device, a first source cartridge 11 filled with the radiation source can be fixed to the treatment head to ensure that the focal dose rate of the treatment head reaches a first preset dose rate. When the focal dose rate of the treatment head decreases to less than or equal to a second preset dose rate, a second source cartridge 12 filled with the radiation source is then connected to the first source cartridge 11, and the combined source cartridge 1 is fixed to the treatment head to ensure that the focal dose rate of the treatment head reaches the target dose rate.

[0053] In some embodiments, referring to FIG3, in the first direction X, the first source box 11 includes a first sub-source box 111 and a second sub-source box 112 arranged in parallel, and the first sub-source box 111 and the second sub-source box 112 are detachably connected by a mounting part 113. It should be noted that both the first sub-source box 111 and the second sub-source box 112 may be provided with receiving holes 2.

[0054] Based on this, referring to Figure 4, the second source box 12 is disposed between the first sub-source box 111 and the second sub-source box 112, and is parallel to the first sub-source box 111 and the second sub-source box 112. It can be understood that the second source box 12 can also be disposed on the side of the first sub-source box 111 away from the second sub-source box 112, and the second source box 12 can also be disposed on the side of the second sub-source box 112 away from the first sub-source box 111. The specific choice can be made according to the actual situation, and this application does not limit it in this way.

[0055] The second source box 12 is positioned between the first sub-source box 111 and the second sub-source box 112. When the second source box 12 is used to supplement the radiation source for the treatment head, the space occupied by the source box 100 formed by the combination of the first source box 11 and the second source box 12 can be reduced, making it easier to fix the combined source box 100 on the treatment head, while reducing the impact of the combined source box 100 on other components on the treatment head.

[0056] This application does not specifically limit the connection method between the second source box 12 and the first source box 11. For example, the second source box 12 is provided with a limiting notch 121 (as shown in Figure 2), and the mounting part 113 of the first source box 11 (as shown in Figure 2) is engaged in the limiting notch 121. With this arrangement, during the assembly of the first source box 11 and the second source box 12, the limiting notch 121 and the mounting part 113 can cooperate with each other to play a guiding and positioning role, which helps to reduce the assembly difficulty of the first source box 11 and the second source box 12 and improve the assembly efficiency.

[0057] In some embodiments, referring to FIG4, the number of receiving holes 2 in the second source box 12, the first sub-source box 111, and the second sub-source box 112 is equal. For example, the second source box 12, the first sub-source box 111, and the second sub-source box 112 are each provided with 10 receiving holes, or the second source box 12, the first sub-source box 111, and the second sub-source box 112 are each provided with 16 receiving holes.

[0058] It should be noted that the number of receiving holes 2 in at least two of the second source box 12, the first sub-source box 111, and the second sub-source box 112 can be unequal. The specific choice can be made according to the actual situation, and this application does not limit this. For example, the number of receiving holes 2 in the second source box 12, the first sub-source box 111, and the second sub-source box 112 can all be unequal. Alternatively, the number of receiving holes 2 in the first sub-source box 111 and the second sub-source box 112 can be equal, but not equal to the number of receiving holes 2 in the second source box 12.

[0059] For example, the second source box 12, the first sub-source box 111, and the second sub-source box 112 are each provided with a row of receiving holes 2 arranged along the second direction Y. Of course, the second source box 12, the first sub-source box 111, and the second sub-source box 112 may also be provided with one or more rows of receiving holes arranged along the second direction Y, and this application does not limit this.

[0060] In some embodiments, referring to FIG4, the central axis of the receiving hole 2 on the first source cartridge 11 is parallel to the central axis of the receiving hole 2 on the second source cartridge 12 and perpendicular to the first direction X. Furthermore, along the first direction X, the central axis of the receiving hole 2 on the first source cartridge 11 and the central axis of the receiving hole 2 on the second source cartridge 12 are staggered.

[0061] With this configuration, during the arc irradiation process, the incident areas of the radiation sources in the respective receiving holes 2 on the first source box 11 and the second source box 12 are not overlapping. In other words, after the radiation emitted from the source box 100 rotates once with the gantry of the radiotherapy equipment, the central axis of the cone-shaped beam emitted from each individual receiving hole 2 will not traverse the same plane. This improves the focal-to-skin ratio during arc irradiation, thereby reducing damage to normal tissues during treatment.

[0062] For example, as shown in FIG4, the central axis of the receiving hole 2 on the first source box 11 and the central axis of the receiving hole 2 on the second source box 12 are parallel to the third direction Z, and the third direction Z is perpendicular to the first direction X and the second direction Y.

[0063] This application also provides a treatment head for use in a radiotherapy device. The treatment head includes a treatment head body and a source cartridge 100 fixed to the treatment head body. The source cartridge 100 is the source cartridge 100 in any of the above embodiments.

[0064] The treatment head in this embodiment has the same beneficial effects as the source box 100 in any of the above embodiments, and will not be described in detail here.

[0065] This application embodiment also provides a method for loading a radiation source into a treatment head, for loading a radiation source into the treatment head in the above embodiment. This method is applicable to both integrated and detachable source cartridges, as shown in FIG5. The method includes the following steps:

[0066] S1. The source cartridge, which is filled with a radiation source in the main receiving hole, is fixed to the treatment head so that the focal dose rate of the treatment head reaches the first preset dose rate.

[0067] It should be noted that the source box with the main receiving hole filled with a radioactive source can have either a portion of the main receiving hole filled with a radioactive source or all of the main receiving holes filled with a radioactive source.

[0068] S2. When the focal dose rate of the treatment head decays to less than or equal to the second preset dose rate, fill the secondary accommodating hole of the source cartridge with a radiation source or adjust the dose of the radiation source placed in the accommodating hole, and then fix the source cartridge to the treatment head so that the focal dose rate of the treatment head reaches the target dose rate.

[0069] Adjusting the dose of the radioactive source placed in the receiving hole can also allow for filling the main receiving hole with a larger number of radioactive sources.

[0070] This application also provides another method for loading a radiation source into a treatment head, used when the source cartridge is a detachable source cartridge, to load a radiation source into the treatment head described in the above embodiments. As shown in Figure 6, the method includes the following steps:

[0071] S10. Fix the first source box filled with the radiation source to the treatment head so that the focal dose rate of the treatment head reaches the first preset dose rate.

[0072] S20. When the focal dose rate of the treatment head decays to less than or equal to the second preset dose rate, the second source cartridge filled with the radiation source is snapped onto the mounting part of the first source cartridge, and then the combined source cartridge is fixed to the treatment head so that the focal dose rate of the treatment head reaches the target dose rate.

[0073] The following example illustrates the method of loading the treatment head with a radiation source of 16mm or 32mm in height, with the source cartridge including 3 rows of receiving holes, each row having 16 receiving holes.

[0074] In Example 1, during the initial installation of the radioactive sources, three rows of receiving holes were filled, with a cylindrical radioactive source of 16mm height installed in each receiving hole. That is, a total of 48 radioactive sources were installed in the source container during the initial installation.

[0075] In Example 2, during the initial installation of the radioactive sources, two rows of receiving holes were filled, with a cylindrical radioactive source of 16 mm in height installed in each receiving hole. That is, a total of 35 radioactive sources were installed in the source cartridge during the initial installation. Five years later, a new source cartridge with one row of receiving holes was added, with a cylindrical radioactive source of 16 mm in height installed in each receiving hole, to improve the focal dose rate of the radioactive sources in the source cartridge.

[0076] In Example 3, during the initial installation of the radiation source, three rows of receiving holes were filled, with each receiving hole containing a cylindrical radiation source with a height of 32 mm. That is, during the initial installation, a total dose equivalent to 96 cylindrical radiation sources with a height of 16 mm was installed in the source cartridge, thus achieving an extremely high dose rate.

[0077] The above-mentioned source replacement methods can meet different dosage requirements and provide customized solutions for different usage scenarios.

[0078] In the description of this specification, specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0079] The above are merely specific embodiments of this utility model, but the protection scope of this utility model is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of this utility model should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A source box, characterized in that, include: Source box substrate; Multiple receiving holes are distributed on the source cartridge substrate for accommodating radioactive sources; the multiple receiving holes include a main receiving hole for initial filling of the radioactive source and a secondary receiving hole for replenishing the radioactive source, so as to achieve dose adjustment of the source cartridge.

2. The source cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that, The source box is a detachable source box. The source box base includes: a first source box and a second source box detachably connected to the first source box. The first source box includes the main receiving hole, and the second source box includes the auxiliary receiving hole.

3. The source cartridge according to claim 2, characterized in that, In a first direction, the first source box includes a first sub-source box and a second sub-source box arranged in parallel, the first sub-source box and the second sub-source box being detachably connected by a mounting part; the second source box is disposed between the first sub-source box and the second sub-source box, and is parallel to the first sub-source box and the second sub-source box.

4. The source cartridge according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second source box, the first sub-source box, and the second sub-source box each have a row of receiving holes arranged along a second direction, which is perpendicular to the first direction.

5. The source cartridge according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second source box is provided with a limiting notch, and the mounting part is engaged in the limiting notch.

6. The source cartridge according to claim 3, characterized in that, The number of receiving holes in the second source box, the first sub-source box, and the second sub-source box is equal.

7. The source cartridge according to any one of claims 3-6, characterized in that, The central axis of the receiving hole on the first source cartridge is parallel to the central axis of the receiving hole on the second source cartridge and perpendicular to the first direction; along the first direction, the central axis of the receiving hole on the first source cartridge and the central axis of the receiving hole on the second source cartridge are staggered.

8. The source cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that, The source box is an integral source box, which includes multiple rows of parallel receiving holes, and the dose of the radiation source placed in the receiving holes is adjustable.

9. The source cartridge according to claim 8, characterized in that, The multiple rows of receiving holes are spaced apart in a first direction, and each row of receiving holes is arranged along a second direction, which is perpendicular to the first direction; along the first direction, the central axes of the multiple rows of receiving holes are staggered.

10. A treatment head, used in a radiotherapy device, characterized in that, include: A treatment head body and a source cartridge fixed to the treatment head body, wherein the source cartridge is any one of claims 1-9.

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