Patent ID: 7502443

Claim:
Unitary triple imager radiation therapy imaging arrangement for providing images of a patient being treated on a radiation therapy apparatus for verification and monitoring of patient positioning and verification of alignment and shaping of the radiation field of the radiation therapy apparatus, wherein said radiation therapy apparatus has a mechanical isocenter onto which a treatment volume of the patient is to be positioned for treatment, and which includes a high-energy treatment head for applying a radiation dose to a patient positioned on a treatment table, and radiating from a therapy beam radiation source in said head along a therapy beam axis that passes through said mechanical isocenter; left and right diagnostic radiation sources mounted onto left and right sides of said treatment head, each radiating along a respective diagnostic beam axis that passes through said isocenter; and a gantry rotatable about said isocenter and carrying said treatment head for permitting said radiation dose to be applied to the patient from any of a range of angles about said isocenter; the triple imager radiation therapy imaging arrangement being mounted on said gantry apparatus and including a portal imaging detector having an image-forming plate situated substantially perpendicular to the therapy beam axis, and being situated in a plane that is a given distance from the therapy beam source in said therapy head; left and right diagnostic image detectors each having an image forming plate situated substantially perpendicular to a respective one of said diagnostic beam axes, each of said diagnostic image detectors being situated in a plane that is at said given distance from the respective diagnostic source; means for capturing the images formed on said image forming plates and outputting respective image signals; and means conveying the output image signals to a viewing screen to display the positioning of the radiation field in respect to a treatment volume of the patient; and means for permitting pretreatment adjustment of the position of said patient on said treatment table in response to said captured images.