Tumor tracing device with multiple scan tubes
A system for tracking tumors during radiotherapy for interleaving treatment pulses with imaging pulses is disclosed. The system includes a plurality of multisource scanning eBeam X-ray tubes, each having multiple focal spots. The X-ray tubes are configured to emit X-rays in a plurality of different locations on a target by sequentially emitting the X-rays to the focal spots in the different focal spots. This is done such that the X-rays can be emitted to the plurality of different locations without substantially moving the X-ray tube or the target. The system further includes multiple imager panels configured to act as targets and configured to receive the X-rays from the focal spots of the X-ray tube. The system further includes a tomosynthesis reconstruction module configured to process outputs from the imager panels to construct a unified three-dimensional image that takes information from each of the different imager panels.
1. A system comprising:
a linac radiotherapy system comprising a treatment head to provide a treatment beam having a direction of propagation;
an x-ray tube mounted to the linac radiotherapy system beneath the treatment head in the direction of propagation of the treatment beam, the x-ray tube comprising a U-shaped plurality of targets;
an electron gun source to provide an electron beam; and
a set of deflection coils to steer the electron beam to the U-shaped plurality of targets to generate x-rays.
2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an imager to receive the x-rays.
3. The system of claim 2 , the treatment beam having a path, the imager in the path of the treatment beam.
4. The system of claim 3 , the linac radiotherapy system further comprising a multi-leaf collimator to shape the treatment beam, the x-ray tube to provide a plurality of sources of x-rays in response to the electron beam steered to the U-shaped plurality of targets, the plurality of sources positioned around a perimeter of the multi-leaf collimator.
5. The system of claim 1 , the linac radiotherapy system further comprising a multi-leaf collimator to shape the treatment beam, the x-ray tube to provide a plurality of sources of x-rays in response to the electron beam steered to the U-shaped plurality of targets, the plurality of sources positioned around a perimeter of the multi-leaf collimator.
6. A system comprising:
a linac radiotherapy system to provide a treatment beam having a path;
an x-ray tube comprising a U-shaped plurality of targets to provide x-rays;
an imager to receive the x-rays, the imager in the path of the treatment beam;
an electron gun source to provide an electron beam; and
a set of deflection coils to steer the electron beam to the U-shaped plurality of targets to generate the x-rays.
7. A system comprising:
a linac radiotherapy system to provide a treatment beam, the linac radiotherapy system comprising a multi-leaf collimator to adjust a cross section of the treatment beam;
an x-ray tube to provide a plurality of sources of x-rays positioned around a perimeter of the multi-leaf collimator, the x-ray tube comprising a U-shaped plurality of targets;
an electron gun source to provide an electron beam; and
a set of deflection coils to steer the electron beam to the U-shaped plurality of targets to generate the sources of x-rays.
8. The system of claim 7 , the system to provide tomographic cross section images having a plane aligned perpendicular to the treatment beam.