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Tomosynthesis produces three-dimensional cross-sectional images in the body by accumulating projection views from several view angles and reconstructing the data into tomographic slices. The Imatrex Tomofluoroscopy™ system with Multiple Source X-ray Technology can reconstruct 3-D images of moving organs in real-time, up to 6 or more 3-D frames per second. When the X-ray sources' positions are set to surround the therapy beam source, the resulting transverse tomographic images are said to represent the "Beam's Eye View" (BEV). Therefore, they provide an image that displays the cross-section of a tumor mass from the viewpoint of the therapy beam. Our simulations have shown that using a tomographic angle of 30 degrees, such slices approach Computed Tomography image quality and are more than adequate for tumor tracking.

tumotrack lowerangleTo provide BEVT images in realtime, Imatrex has designed a unique multi-source X-ray tube that uses a small scanning electron beam to move the focal spot to each of the 19 focal positions. This tube will be placed just under the Dynamic Multi-Leaf-Collimator (DMLC) of modern linear-accelerator-based radiotherapy gantries. The projection images are recorded on the existing Portal Area Detector system designed for interlaced kV-MV imaging. The exact tumor contour positions will be determined from the real-time BEVT images and the coordinates provided to the DMLC controller for real-time adjustments of the radiotherapy beam profile. Updates will be provided with a frequency of one per second or faster.

Our TumoTrak product is an integrated system consisting of the multi-source tube, integration with the kV-MV portal detector, real-time tomosynthesis reconstruction system, and automatic target recognition software, which will be sold on an OEM basis to existing Radiotherapy vendors.

 

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Who Would Benefit Using BEVT

Virtually all patients undergoing radiation therapy will benefit from real-time tracking of tumors and surrounding structures possible with this system. This product will enable radiation oncologists to develop improved and more effective treatment plans intended to enhance patients' outcomes.

For Radiotherapy providers, the addition of a TumoTrak™ system to your gantry will ensure that you can provide the latest optimum treatment plans for your patients. Also, the improvements in positioning, workflow, and portal monitoring may significantly reduce operational and maintenance costs.

For more information on the Imatrex TumoTrak™ system for Image-Guided Radiation Therapy, contact us.

 

Features

  • Realtime tumor of tumors and surrounding soft tissue structures
  • Image updates at a rate of 1/sec or faster during actual radiation therapy
  • Realtime updates to the treatment plan and adjustment of the DMLC
  • No moving parts - focal positions are adjusted electronically with a scanning eBeam
  • System may be retrofitted to existing Radiotherapy Gantries
  • Provides video sequence record of both the radiotherapy beam and the tumor position during the course of treatment since by saving the Portal Imaging data.

Benefits

  • Radiation treatment plans can be more tightly focused on the tumor with less exposure to surrounding tissue.
  • Higher exposures to the actual tumor volume may increase the rate of local control and potentially reduce the number of radiation fractions necessary.
  • The availability of on gantry near-CT quality imaging may improve workflow for the verification of proper patient positioning.
  • Ultimately improvements in both local control and therapy outcomes can be expected.

650px CroppedScreenshot1withArrowAbout 2/3 of cancer patients will receive radiation therapy for their cancer during the course of treatment. Since the most common site for cancer is the lung, the target tumor may be moving by 3cm or more during the course of therapy. Since the tumor's exact position over time is unknown, the radiation treatment plan typically must treat a volume considerably larger than the actual tumor to allow for motion. This exposure to healthy surrounding tissue often limits the effectiveness of the treatment. Image-Guided Radiotherapy attempts to image the exact tumor position in real-time and adjust the radiation therapy beam's position accordingly, thus enabling much better targeting of the actual malignant tissue. Current methods of real-time imaging have proven impractical or insufficient for this purpose. Imatrex is developing a new type of real-time tumor imaging called Beams-Eye-View Tomosynthesis (BEVT) and employs a unique Imatrex designed multi-source X-ray tube placed in the radiotherapy gantry near the radiation collimator.

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