Patent ID: 7471765

Claim:
A radiation therapy system comprising: a radiation source that moves about an object and directs a beam of radiation towards said object; a cone-beam computed tomography system comprising: an x-ray source that moves about said object and emits toward said object from multiple positions around said object x-ray beams in a cone-beam form; a flat-panel imager positioned to receive x-rays after at least a portion of said x-ray beams pass through said object, said imager providing an image that contains three-dimensional information concerning said object based on a plurality of two-dimensional projection images; and a computer coupled to said cone-beam computed tomography system, wherein said computer receives said three-dimensional information and based on said three-dimensional information received controls a path of said beam of radiation through said object by controlling a relative position between said radiation source and said object, wherein said receiving said x-rays by said flat panel imager is performed substantially at a time of occurrence of said controlling said path of said beam of radiation through said object.