Fixed Gantry Proton Beam Delivery with Rigid Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Proton therapy systems face challenges in maintaining accurate alignment of the proton delivery nozzle with the isocenter of the rotating gantry, leading to beam misalignment issues due to structural deflection, which complicates treatment planning and increases the time required for adjustments.
Innovation Solution
A superconducting beamline with a rigid support structure and deflecting members, including bending and steering magnets, is used to maintain the beam's curvilinear path and energy level consistently across different gantry positions, reducing deflection and allowing for a single set of beam transport settings for full 360-degree rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a rotating gantry with beam steering magnets is used to direct proton beam from any angle, then the ability to attack tumors from different angles is improved, but structural deflection during rotation causes beam misalignment with the isocenter
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical beam steering system (rotating gantry with steering magnets) with a fixed gantry design that uses a movable patient positioning system. The beam delivery system remains stationary while the patient table moves to bring different treatment areas to the isocenter, eliminating mechanical deflection issues during rotation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of moving the beam delivery system around the patient (gantry rotation), the patent inverts the approach by keeping the beam system fixed and moving the patient (table movement) to achieve the same treatment geometry from multiple angles.
2Adaptability or versatility
If beam steering magnets are used to redirect the proton beam during gantry rotation, then the proton beam can be directed to different angles, but the complexity of the system increases and requires multiple cooperating magnets
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the beam steering magnets from the system entirely. By eliminating the mechanical beam steering capability, the system simplifies the gantry design to a fixed structure, reducing the number of components while maintaining treatment versatility through patient positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixed gantry system achieves multi-angle treatment capability not through multiple specialized steering magnets, but through a universal patient positioning system that can orient the patient's anatomy to bring different treatment targets to the single isocenter position.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the gantry rotates to different positions around the patient, then the proton beam can penetrate the patient's body at multiple locations, but the time required for alignment adjustments increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary positioning by using the movable patient table to pre-align the treatment area with the fixed isocenter before beam delivery begins. This eliminates the need for time-consuming real-time alignment adjustments during treatment, as the geometry is established beforehand through patient positioning.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a single cyclotron generates a standard high-energy beamline that is selectively modified for different treatment protocols, then the energy level can be adjusted, but the beamline requires structural changes and adjustments for each energy change
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the energy parameter of the proton beam by adjusting the cyclotron acceleration voltage rather than physically modifying the beamline structure. This allows energy selection through electrical parameter control while maintaining a fixed, unchanged beam transport system.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly reduces beamline deflection and maintains accurate proton beam delivery across various angles, eliminating the need for frequent adjustments and minimizing radiation exposure to healthy tissues, thereby enhancing treatment efficacy and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a beamline deflector configured to be rotated by the gantry wheel to transport the proton beam along a curvilinear path of the beamline deflector from the rotation axis to the proton beam nozzle
Implementation Method 2
A proton beam delivery system for a proton treatment system... a superconducting beamline with a rigid support structure
Data Source
AI summary
A proton beam delivery system including a proton beam nozzle to emit a proton beam to a targeted region of a patient, a gantry wheel to support the proton beam nozzle, the gantry wheel being configured to rotate the proton beam nozzle about a rotation axis of the gantry wheel such that the proton beam nozzle emits the proton beam to an isocenter of the gantry wheel corresponding to the targeted region, a beamline deflector configured to be rotated by the gantry wheel to transport the proton beam along a curvilinear path from the rotation axis to the proton beam nozzle using a predetermined power setting of the beamline deflector, and a rigid support structure to support the beamline deflector when the gantry wheel is rotated such that the beam nozzle directs the proton beam to the isocenter from a plurality of radial directions using the same predetermined power setting.