Radiotherapeutic apparatus

摘要

The ability to provide a fine resolution variation in the dose rate of radiotherapeutic apparatus would allow delivery times of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) and related techniques to be reduced significantly. A radiotherapeutic apparatus is described, comprising a source of radiation able to issue pulses of radiation at a base frequency, and a control apparatus arranged to permit pulses provided these match a pulse pattern chosen to achieve a selected time-averaged power level, the chosen pulse pattern being one selected from a plurality of pulse patterns that include patterns consisting of trains of pulses that include, relative to the base frequency, at least every nth and every mth pulse where n≠m and the nth and mth pulses are non-coincident. Essentially, such an apparatus issues a pulse if it is the nth or the mth or the kth (etc) where n, m, k . . . are selectable independently.

主权项

1. Radiotherapeutic apparatus comprising:
a source of radiation able to issue pulses of radiation at a base frequency, and a control apparatus arranged to permit pulses according to a pulse pattern chosen to achieve a selected time-averaged power level, the chosen pulse pattern being one selected from a plurality of pulse patterns, the plurality of pulse patterns including at least one pulse pattern consisting of a train of pulses that includes, relative to the base frequency, at least every nth and every mth pulse where n≠m and the nth and mth pulses are non-coincident.