Rotating Patient Support for Radiation Therapy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing radiation therapy and imaging machines often have bores that are too small, causing discomfort for patients, especially overweight individuals, and configurations with arms can be limiting during prolonged procedures, leading to inadequate patient support and positioning.
Innovation Solution
A radiation system with a patient support system that allows the patient to be positioned at least partially around a spatial region, enabling the radiation source to deliver beams from various angles while the support moves in arcs, circles, or zig-zag paths, providing greater comfort and accessibility for larger patients.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the patient is placed in a traditional bore or arm configuration, then the radiation source can deliver beams to the patient, but the space is limited causing patient discomfort and claustrophobia
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of moving the radiation source around a stationary patient (traditional bore/arm configuration), the patent inverts the arrangement by positioning the patient support within the radiation source's rotational path. The patient support rotates along with the radiation source, effectively bringing the radiation delivery system to the patient rather than confining the patient in a fixed bore structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces rotational movement in a third dimension by allowing the patient support to rotate around the radiation source's rotational axis. This creates a multi-dimensional treatment space where the patient can be positioned at various radial distances and angular positions, dramatically increasing the available spatial volume compared to traditional linear or fixed configurations.
2Device complexity
If the distance between the patient and radiation source is reduced for compact machine design, then the machine size is smaller, but the patient feels uncomfortable during prolonged procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the patient support dynamic by enabling it to rotate and change position during the treatment procedure. The support can adjust its radial distance from the radiation source and its angular position, allowing the treatment configuration to adapt over time. This dynamic capability enables prolonged treatment sessions by varying the patient's position and spacing from the source throughout the procedure.
3Manufacturing precision
If a bore configuration is used for radiation delivery, then the radiation source can be positioned relative to the patient, but the bore size is too small for overweight patients
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous adjustment of key parameters including the radial distance between the patient support and radiation source, the angular position of the patient support, and the rotational speed. These parameter changes allow the system to accommodate patients of various sizes and weights by optimizing the treatment geometry for each individual case, while maintaining precise radiation beam placement through controlled rotational movement.
Data Source
AI summary
A patient support system includes a patient support having a surface for supporting a patient and a longitudinal axis, and a positioner coupled to the patient support for positioning the patient support, wherein the positioner is configured to move the patient support along a path that has an arc, circular, or zig-zag shape, and wherein the path lies within a plane that forms an angle with the surface of the patient support.