Medical apparatus and method

{
  "publication_number": "US11141126B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Medical apparatus and method",
  "abstract": "A medical apparatus includes an acquirer, an associator, and a display controller. The acquirer acquires information indicating a respiratory waveform of an object and acquires fluoroscopic images of the object captured in time series. The associator associates a tracking value which fluctuates according to a respiratory phase of the object, based on the time-series fluoroscopic images. The display controller causes a display to display the respiratory waveform and a waveform of the tracking value in a comparable form.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A medical apparatus, comprising: circuitry configured to acquire information indicating a respiratory waveform of an object and acquire fluoroscopic images of the object captured in time series, determine a waveform of a tracking value of a coordinate position of a target position, the waveform of the tracking value being determined independently of the information indicating the respiratory waveform of the object, based directly on the time-series fluoroscopic images, the target position being an identified position of the object; determine a waveform of an irradiation permission signal indicating whether the irradiation permission signal is output or not to a therapeutic device having a radiation source that irradiates the object with a therapeutic beam, the waveform of the irradiation permission being determined independently of the information indicating the respiratory waveform of the object, based directly on the time-series fluoroscopic images, cause a display to display the respiratory waveform and the determined waveform of the tracking value of the coordinate position of the target position in a comparable form, the respiratory waveform and the determined waveform of the tracking value being displayed in a superimposed manner, and cause the display to display, together with the respiratory waveform and the determined waveform of the tracking value, the waveform of the irradiation permission signal, wherein a time axis of the waveform of the irradiation permission signal is aligned with a time axis of the respiratory waveform and the determined waveform of the tracking value.",
    "2. The medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the displayed waveform of the tracking value is a part or all of components of coordinates of the target position of an identified position of the object obtained from the fluoroscopic image.",
    "3. The medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to identify the target position of a position of a tracking target spot of the object, output the irradiation permission signal to the therapeutic device based on the identified target position of the tracking target spot, and cause the display to display an indication of whether the irradiation permission signal is output or not, together with the respiratory waveform or the waveform of the tracking value.",
    "4. The medical apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the circuitry is further configured to cause the display to display a gate-on ratio.",
    "5. The medical apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the circuitry is further configured to cause the display to display an error ratio.",
    "6. The medical apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the circuitry is further configured to cause the display to display a histogram of the tracking value.",
    "7. The medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to cause an irradiation permission range to be displayed in a manner of being superimposed on the fluoroscopic image and change a color of the irradiation permission range when the target position of a position of a tracking target spot is settled within the irradiation permission range and an irradiation permission signal is output.",
    "8. The medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to cause an irradiation permission range to be displayed in a manner of being superimposed on the fluoroscopic image and change a hue or brightness of any of an inner region or an outer region of the irradiation permission range when an irradiation permission signal is output.",
    "9. The medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to issue a notification by a sound or a vibration when an irradiation permission signal is output.",
    "10. The medical apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to determine the waveform of the tracking value without using a respiratory movement model relating a particular respiratory phase to a particular target position of the object.",
    "11. The medical apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to identify the target position in the time-series fluoroscopic images, and determine the waveform of the irradiation permission signal indicating that the irradiation permission signal is output when the identified target position is settled within an irradiation permission range set in the time-series fluoroscopic images.",
    "12. The medical apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to target the target position identified in the time-series fluoroscopic images in each of a first direction indicating a body-axis direction of the object, a second direction indicating a front-rear direction of the object, and a third direction indicating a lateral direction of the object to determine three waveforms of the tracking value, and cause the display to display the determined three waveforms of the tracking value.",
    "13. A method executed by a medical apparatus, comprising; acquiring information indicating a respiratory waveform of an object and acquiring fluoroscopic images of the object captured in time series; determining a waveform of a tracking value of a coordinate position of a target position, the waveform of the tracking value being determined independently of the information indicating the respiratory waveform of the object, based directly on the time-series fluoroscopic images, the target position being an identified position of the object; determining a waveform of an irradiation permission signal indicating whether the irradiation permission signal is output or not to a therapeutic device having a radiation source that irradiates the object with a therapeutic beam, the waveform of the irradiation permission being determined independently of the information indicating the respiratory waveform of the object, based directly on the time-series fluoroscopic images; causing a display to display the respiratory waveform and the determined waveform of the tracking value of the coordinate position of the target position in a comparable form, the respiratory waveform and the determined waveform of the tracking value being displayed in a superimposed manner, and causing the display to display, together with the respiratory waveform and the determined waveform of the tracking value, the waveform of the irradiation permission signal, wherein a time axis of the waveform of the irradiation permission signal is aligned with a time axis of the respiratory waveform and the determined waveform of the tracking value.",
    "14. A medical apparatus, comprising: circuitry configured to acquire information indicating a respiratory waveform of an object and acquire fluoroscopic images of the object captured in time series, determine a waveform of a tracking value of a coordinate position of a target position, the waveform of the tracking value being determined independently of the information indicating the respiratory waveform of the object, based directly on the time-series fluoroscopic images, the target position being an identified position of the object, determine a waveform of an irradiation permission signal indicating whether the irradiation permission signal is output or not to a therapeutic device having a radiation source that irradiates the object with a therapeutic beam, the waveform of the irradiation permission being determined independently of the information indicating the respiratory waveform of the object, based directly on the time-series fluoroscopic images, cause a display to display the respiratory waveform and the determined waveform of the tracking value of the coordinate position of the target position in a comparable form, the respiratory waveform and the determined waveform of the tracking value being displayed in a superimposed manner, cause the display to display, together with the respiratory waveform and the determined waveform of the tracking value, the waveform of the irradiation permission signal, wherein a time axis of the waveform of the irradiation permission signal is aligned with a time axis of the respiratory waveform and the determined waveform of the tracking value, and cause an irradiation permission range to be displayed in a manner of being superimposed on the fluoroscopic image.",
    "15. A method executed by a medical apparatus, comprising; acquiring information indicating a respiratory waveform of an object and acquiring fluoroscopic images of the object captured in time series; determining a waveform of a tracking value of a coordinate position of a target position, the waveform of the tracking value being determined independently of the information indicating the respiratory waveform of the object, based directly on the time-series fluoroscopic images, the target position being an identified position of the object; determining a waveform of an irradiation permission signal indicating whether the irradiation permission signal is output or not to a therapeutic device having a radiation source that irradiates the object with a therapeutic beam, the waveform of the irradiation permission being determined independently of the information indicating the respiratory waveform of the object, based directly on the time-series fluoroscopic images; causing a display to display the respiratory waveform and the determined waveform of the tracking value of the coordinate position of the target position in a comparable form, the respiratory waveform and the determined waveform of the tracking value being displayed in a superimposed manner; causing the display to display, together with the respiratory waveform and the determined waveform of the tracking value, the waveform of the irradiation permission signal, wherein a time axis of the waveform of the irradiation permission signal is aligned with a time axis of the respiratory waveform and the determined waveform of the tracking value; and causing an irradiation permission range to be displayed in a manner of being superimposed on the fluoroscopic image."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "Embodiments described herein relate generally to a medical apparatus and a control method for a medical apparatus.\n\nTherapeutic devices which irradiate a patient (object) with a therapeutic beam such as a heavy particle beam or a radiation are known. There are cases in which a lesion of an object, that is, a spot to be irradiated with a therapeutic beam B moves due to respirations, heartbeat, intestinal movements, and the like. As a therapeutic method suitable therefor, a gated irradiation method and a tracking irradiation method are known.\n\nWhen a lesion which moves due to respirations is irradiated with a therapeutic beam, there is a need to perform irradiation synchronously with respiratory phases of an object. Techniques of respiratory phase synchronization include a technique of ascertaining the respiratory phase (external respiratory synchronization) by utilizing output values of various sensors attached to the body of an object, and a technique of ascertaining the respiratory phase (internal respiratory synchronization) based on a fluoroscopic image of an object. The processing for respiratory phase synchronization is performed by a medical apparatus which outputs a control signal to a therapeutic device. For example, a medical apparatus controls a therapeutic device by performing wired or wireless communication with the therapeutic device.\n\nExamples of therapeutic devices of this kind include a therapeutic device which displays a respiratory waveform such as an external respiratory waveform during a therapy.",
  "cpc": [
    "A61B 6/5288",
    "A61B 5/0071",
    "A61B 5/113",
    "A61B 6/463",
    "A61B 6/467",
    "A61N 2005/1051",
    "A61N 2005/1059",
    "A61N 2005/1061",
    "A61N 2005/1062",
    "A61N 2005/1074",
    "A61N 5/103",
    "A61N 5/1037",
    "A61N 5/1049",
    "A61N 5/1067",
    "A61N 5/1068",
    "G06T 7/20",
    "G06T 7/70"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "A61B 6/00",
    "G06T 7/20",
    "G06T 7/70",
    "A61N 5/10"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Toshiba Energy Systems and Solutions Corp"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Shinichiro Mori",
    "Koki Yanagawa",
    "Ryusuke Hirai",
    "Shinya Fukushima",
    "Keiko Okaya"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2018-12-18",
  "publication_date": "2021-10-12",
  "grant_date": "2021-10-12",
  "priority_date": "2017-12-20",
  "application_number": "US-201816223608-A",
  "family_id": "64745908",
  "cited_by_count": 25,
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}