Patent ID: 7110808

Claim:
A method of selectively irradiating a target region of tissue comprising: administering a metalloporphyrin to a patient; conducting PET or SPECT to prepare a 3-dimensional image representative of a mapping region of at least a portion of the patient to be treated, the mapping covering an area of the patient larger than a target region, the administered metalloporphyrin enabling high quality imaging through PET or SPECT; storing the mapping as reference data in digital form; positioning the patient with the mapping region within the target region of a radiosurgical beaming apparatus; activating the beaming apparatus to emit a radiosurgical beam to cause the target region to become necrotic; conducting another PET or SPECT during the time in which the radiosurgical beaming apparatus is activated; producing electronic images representative of the PET or SPECT taken during activation of the beaming apparatus; comparing the images taken during mapping with the images taken during activation of the beam to provide position data representative of relative spatial locations of the beam and of the target region; adjusting the relative position of the beaming apparatus in such a manner that the beam is focused onto the target region maintaining the beaming apparatus in its activated state for the time necessary to provide a desired amount of radiation; completing said comparing step at selected time intervals using newly produced real-time images such that any movement of the target region relative to a focus of the beam is detected in substantially real-time; and repeating said adjusting step, as needed, to maintain focus of the beam on the target region.