Ion acceleration complex for the treatment of atrial fibrillations

Abstract

A system ( 12 ) is proposed for the acceleration of ions to treat Atrial Fibrillation (AF), arteriovenous malformations (AVMS) and focal epileptic lesions; this system ( 12 ) includes a pulsed ion source ( 1 ), a pre-accelerator ( 3 ) and one or more linear accelerators or linacs ( 5, 6, 7 ) operating at frequencies above 1 GHz with a repetition rate between 1 Hz and 500 Hz. The particle beam coming out of the complex ( 12 ) can vary (i) in intensity, (ii) in deposition depth and (iii) transversally with respect to the central beam direction. The possibility of adjusting in a few milliseconds and in three orthogonal directions, the location of each energy deposition in the body of the patient makes that system of accelerators ( 12 ) perfectly suited to irradiation of a beating heart.

1 - 11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . A method of using a linear ion accelerator for the treatment of Atrial Fibrillation (AF) in the heart of a patient in need thereof comprising:
 producing beam pulses of accelerated ions with an atomic number between 1 (protons) and 10 (neon ions);   delivering a dose of the beam pulses of accelerated ions to the heart using spot scanning and multi-painting,   wherein a three-dimensional feedback system is used to deliver the dose to treat the AF in the heart without unwanted irradiation of tissues that have to be spared.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the feedback system is used to compensate for movements of the irradiated heart. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising varying two transverse positions and a depth of each spot before delivering each spot to compensate for movements due to the respiration cycle or to the patient's heartbeat. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the variation of the depth corresponds to a variation of energy of the accelerated ions. 
     
     
         16 . A method of using a linear ion accelerator for the treatment of an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in a patient in need thereof comprising:
 producing beam pulses of accelerated ions with an atomic number between 1 (protons) and 10 (neon ions);   delivering a dose of the beam pulses of accelerated ions to the AVM using spot scanning and multi-painting,   wherein a three-dimensional feedback system is used to deliver the dose to the AVM without unwanted irradiation of tissues that have to be spared.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the feedback system is used to compensate for movements of the irradiated AVM. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  further comprising varying two transverse positions and a depth of each spot before delivering each spot to compensate for movements of the AVM. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the variation of the depth by the three-dimensional feedback system corresponds to a variation of energy of the accelerated ions. 
     
     
         20 . A method of using a linear ion accelerator for the treatment of an epileptic lesion in a patient in need thereof comprising:
 producing beam pulses of accelerated ions with an atomic number between 1 (protons) and 10 (neon ions);   delivering a dose of the beam pulses of accelerated ions to the epileptic lesion using spot scanning and multi-painting,   wherein a three-dimensional feedback system is used to deliver the dose to the epileptic lesion without unwanted irradiation of tissues that have to be spared.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20  wherein the feedback system is used to compensate for movements of the irradiated epileptic lesion. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising varying two transverse positions and a depth of each spot before delivering each spot to compensate for movements of the epileptic lesion. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the variation of the depth by the three-dimensional feedback system corresponds to a variation of energy of the accelerated ions.