Patent ID: 8376613

Claim:
A method of reproducibly interfacing a patient with a radiation delivery device, the method comprising: placing the patient on a patient positioner in a reproducible manner; fixing and attaching the patient to the patient positioner so that the patient and the patient positioner move together as a single unit in a controlled fashion; providing a desired orientation and location of a radiation dose based at least in part on the location, orientation, and shape of a treatment area of the patient; determining the location of the treatment area of the patient relative to a virtual isocenter of a diagnostic, simulation or treatment unit, comprising the steps of: placing the patient positioner such that the treatment area of the patient is within a few centimeters of the virtual isocenter; creating a first localization image with an imaging device; creating a second localization image with an imaging device, where the second localization image is taken from an angle which is approximately orthogonal to the angle of the first localization image; determining a current orientation and location of the treatment area with respect to the virtual isocenter using at least the first and second localization images; and computing a discrepancy between the current orientation and location of the treatment area with respect to the virtual isocenter and the desired orientation and location of the radiation dose; accounting for the computed discrepancy to move the patient positioner with respect to the virtual isocenter in order to place the patient according to the desired orientation and location of a radiation dose; and verifying the position of the patient positioner such that that the treatment area of the patient is positioned with respect to the virtual isocenter according to the desired orientation and location of a radiation dose.