Therapeutic apparatus

Claim 1

A therapeutic apparatus comprising: irradiating means for irradiating an ionized particle beam; a therapy table on which a patient is mounted; X-ray computer tomography means for accumulating image data; means responsive to said image data from said X-ray computer tomography means for generating a first image of at least part of the patient indicating the position of an affected part; first display means for displaying said first image generated by said X-ray computer tomography means; X-ray means for generating a second image of at least part of the patient indicating the position of said ionized particle beam, said second image being a center projection image formed on a plane when the patient is projected by an X-ray radiating from a point; second display means for displaying said second image generated by said X-ray means; input means for inputting positional information indicative of locations of reference points of physical characteristics in said first image and said second image, said physical characteristics being identified on said second image and the positions of said reference points being related to the position of said affected part; computing means for calculating the distance of movement of the therapy table such that said ionized particle beam is irradiated onto said affected part of the patient on the basis of said positional information of said first image and said second image and for calculating the shape, dose, and energy of said ionized particle beam; and means for moving the patient relative to said ionized particle beam on the basis of said calculated distance.

Claim 5

A method of using a therapeutic apparatus comprising ionized particle beam irradiating means mounted along a vertical projection axis, a therapy table, X-ray computer tomography means, first display means, X-ray means, second display means, input means, computer means, and means for moving the therapy table means, comprising the steps of: positioning a patient on the therapy table; accumulating image data using the X-ray computer tomography means; generating a first image of at least part of the patient indicating the position of an affected part; displaying said first image on the first display means; inputting a first set of reference marks, with the input means, indicative of locations of physical characteristics of said first image displayed on the first display means; calculating the distances between said affected part and said first set of reference marks; generating a second image, using the X-ray means, of at least part of the patient illustrating a position of the vertical projection axis, said second image being a center projection image formed on a plane when the patient is projected by an X-ray radiation from a point; displaying said second image on the second display means; inputting a second set of reference marks, with the input means, indicative of this locations of said physical characteristics of said second image displayed on the second display means, said physical characteristics being identified on said second image and the positions of said reference marks being related to the position of said affected part; calculating a distance of movement of the therapy table using the computer means, such that said affected part and the vertical projection axis coincide, on the basis of said first and second reference marks and calculating the shape, dose and energy of an ionized particle beam to be irradiated on the patient; moving the therapy table said calculated distance of movement; and irradiating the patient with an ionized particle beam of said calculated shape, dose, and energy.

Claim 6

A method of using a therapeutic apparatus comprising ionized particle beam irradiating means mounted along a vertical projection axis, a therapy table, X-ray computer tomography means, first display means, X-ray means, second display means, input means, computer means, and means for moving the therapy table means, comprising the steps of: positioning a patient on the therapy table; accumulating image data using the X-ray computer tomography means; generating a first image of at least part of the patient indicating the position of an affected part; displaying said first image on the first display means; inputting a first set of reference marks, with the input means, indicative of locations of physical characteristics of said first image displayed on the first display means; calculating the distances between said affected part and said first set of reference marks; generating a second image, using the X-ray means, of at least part of the patient illustrating a position of the vertical projection axis, said second image being a center projection image formed on a plane when the patient is projected by an X-ray radiation from a point; displaying said second image on the second display means; inputting a second set of reference marks, with the input means, indicative of this locations of said physical characteristics of said second image displayed on the second display means, said physical characteristics being identified on said second image and the positions of said reference marks being related to the position of said affected part; calculating a distance of movement of the therapy table using the computer means, such that said affected part and the vertical projection axis coincide, on the basis of said first and second reference marks and calculating the shape, dose and energy of an ionized particle beam to be irradiated on the patient; moving the therapy table said calculated distance of movement; and irradiating the patient with an ionized particle beam of said calculated shape, dose, and energy.

Claim 9

A method of using a therapeutic apparatus comprising particle beam irradiating means mounted along a vertical projection axis, a therapy table, first X-ray computer tomography means, first display means, second X-ray computer tomography means, second display means, input means, computer means, and means for moving the therapy table means, comprising the steps of: positioning a table on the therapy table; accummulating image data using the first X-ray computer tomography means; generating a first image of at least part of the patient indicating the position of an affected part; displaying said first image on the first display means; inputting a first set of reference marks, with the input means, indicative of locations of physical characteristics of said first image displayed on the first display means; calculating the distances between said affected part and said first set of reference marks; generating a second image, using the second X-ray computer tomography means, of at least part of the patient illustrating a position of the vertical projection axis, said second image being a center projection image formed on a plane of the patient; displaying said second image on the second display means; inputting a second set of reference marks, with the input means, indicative of the locations of said physical characteristics of said second image displayed on the second display means, said physical characteristics being identified on said second image and the positions of said reference marks being related to the position of said afected part; calculating a distance of movement of the therapy table, using the computer means such that said affected part and the vertical projection axis coincide, on the basis of said first and second reference marks and calculating the shape, dose and energy of an ionized particle beam to be irradiated on the patient; moving the therapy table said calculated distance of movement; and irradiating the patient with an ionized particle beam of said calculated shape, dose, and energy.

Claim 10

A method of using a therapeutic apparatus comprising particle beam irradiating means mounted along a vertical projection axis, a therapy table, first X-ray computer tomography means, first display means, second X-ray computer tomography means, second display means, input means, computer means, and means for moving the therapy table means, comprising the steps of: positioning a table on the therapy table; accummulating image data using the first X-ray computer tomography means; generating a first image of at least part of the patient indicating the position of an affected part; displaying said first image on the first display means; inputting a first set of reference marks, with the input means, indicative of locations of physical characteristics of said first image displayed on the first display means; calculating the distances between said affected part and said first set of reference marks; generating a second image, using the second X-ray computer tomography means, of at least part of the patient illustrating a position of the vertical projection axis, said second image being a center projection image formed on a plane of the patient; displaying said second image on the second display means; inputting a second set of reference marks, with the input means, indicative of the locations of said physical characteristics of said second image displayed on the second display means, said physical characteristics being identified on said second image and the positions of said reference marks being related to the position of said afected part; calculating a distance of movement of the therapy table, using the computer means such that said affected part and the vertical projection axis coincide, on the basis of said first and second reference marks and calculating the shape, dose and energy of an ionized particle beam to be irradiated on the patient; moving the therapy table said calculated distance of movement; and irradiating the patient with an ionized particle beam of said calculated shape, dose, and energy.