# US 10,245,446 B2 · Marker-flange for MRI-guided brachytherapy > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,245,446 B2 - Document ID: US10245446B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/826,873 - Filed: 2013-03-14 - Published: 2014-09-18 - Granted: 2019-04-02 - Earliest claimed: 2013-03-14 - Assignees: University of Iowa Research Foundation - Applicants: University of Iowa Research Foundation - Inventors: Yusung Kim - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10245446B2 ## CPC - A61N 5/1007: {Arrangements or means for the introduction of sources into the body} - A61B 90/39: {Markers, e.g. radio-opaque or breast lesions markers} - A61B 2090/3954: {magnetic, e.g. NMR or MRI} - A61N 5/1016: {Gynaecological radiation therapy} - A61N 2005/1012: {Templates or grids for guiding the introduction of sources} - A61N: ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY (measurement of bioelectric currents A61B; surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body A61B18/00; anaesthetic apparatus in general A61M; incandescent lamps H01K; infrared radiators for heating H05B) - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) ## Abstract Disclosed herein is a marker-flange for use with a brachytherapy applicator, having a flange body with a first face, a second face, and a hollow chamber positioned between the first and second faces. A cavity extending through the flange body is dimensioned to receive a tandem in a brachytherapy applicator in a press-fit connection, so as to affix the flange-marker to an outside surface of the tandem. The hollow chamber includes an MR imaging responsive marker agent that provides strong signal intensities and a high geometric accuracy in MR imaging. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A marker-flange for use with a brachytherapy applicator, comprising: a flange body having a first face and a second face, with a hollow chamber positioned in the flange body between the first and second faces; a cavity comprising a first cavity opening on the first face and a second cavity opening on the second face, the cavity extending through the flange body and dimensioned to receive a tandem in a brachytherapy applicator in a press-fit connection; a port comprising a port opening positioned on one of the first and second faces of the flange body, the port being configured to communicate with the hollow chamber; and a sealing agent contained within the port opening, the sealing agent providing an air-tight seal between the hollow chamber and an external environment outside the flange body. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The marker-flange of claim 1, further comprising: a marker agent contained within the hollow chamber. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The marker-flange of claim 2, wherein: the marker agent is a liquid, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging responsive marker agent. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The marker-flange of claim 3, wherein: the marker agent is chosen from the group consisting of: saline; an iothalamate meglumine composition; liquid vitamin E; fish oil; 1% Agarose Gel; and C4 cobalt-chloride complex. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The marker-flange of claim 1, wherein: the sealing agent contained in the port opening comprises an elastomeric material having a sufficient elasticity to exhibit a self-resealing characteristic after having been penetrated by a syringe. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The marker-flange of claim 1, wherein: the cavity is cylindrically shaped and has a diameter between 3.0 and 7.0 mm in a cross-section. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The marker-flange of claim 1, further comprising a shaft extending from one of the first and second faces of the flange body, wherein the shaft has a narrower width than the flange body. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The marker-flange of claim 7, wherein: the shaft includes a channel that communicates with the cavity in the flange body. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The marker-flange of claim 7, further comprising: channels formed in the flange body, the channels being dimensioned to receive a suture thread for suturing the flange body to the outer surface of a cervix. ### Claim 10 A brachytherapy applicator, comprising: a marker flange comprising a flange body having a first face and a second face, with a hollow chamber positioned in the flange body between the first and second faces, the hollow chamber configured to receive and retain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging responsive marker agent; and a cavity extending through the flange body and dimensioned to receive a tandem in the brachytherapy applicator, without the outer surface of the tandem contacting a surface of the flange body that defines the cavity, wherein the brachytherapy applicator is a tandem-and-ring applicator, and the marker-flange is an integrated ring portion in the tandem-and-ring applicator, with one of the first and second faces of the flange body configured to abut a cervix upon use of the tandem-and-ring applicator with insertion of the tandem into a cervical OS. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The brachytherapy applicator of claim 10, wherein: the marker agent is a liquid marker agent. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The brachytherapy applicator of claim 11, wherein: the marker agent is chosen from the group consisting of: saline; an iothalamate meglumine composition; liquid vitamin E; fish oil; 1% Agarose Gel; and C4 cobalt-chloride complex. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The brachytherapy applicator of claim 10, wherein: the flange body is formed from an elastomeric material having a sufficient elasticity to exhibit a self-resealing characteristic after having been penetrated by a syringe. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The brachytherapy applicator of claim 10, wherein: the marker flange further comprises a port positioned on one of the first and second faces of the flange body, the port communicating with the hollow chamber and containing a sealing agent so as to provide an air-tight seal between the hollow chamber and an external environment outside the flange body. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The brachytherapy applicator of claim 14, wherein: the sealing agent contained in the port is an elastomeric material having a sufficient elasticity to exhibit a self-resealing characteristic after having been penetrated by a syringe. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The bracytherapy applicator of claim 10, wherein the flange body further comprises a source pathway cavity for insertion of a radiation source into the flange body. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The brachytherapy applicator of claim 16, wherein the source pathway cavity and the hollow chamber extend around the flange body cavity on a common plane transverse to a central axis of the flange body cavity. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) A method for performing a brachytherapy procedure, including: introducing magnetic resonance (MR) imaging responsive marker agent into the hollow chamber of the marker-flange of claim 1; and inserting a tandem of a brachytherapy applicator into the cavity of the marker-flange, so as to affix the marker-flange to an outside surface of the tandem. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method for performing a brachytherapy procedure of claim 18, wherein: the sealing agent contained in the port opening is composed of an elastomeric material having a sufficient elasticity to render it self-resealing after penetration by a syringe, and introducing a marker agent into the hollow chamber includes using a syringe to inject a liquid marker agent through the port. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The method for performing a brachytherapy procedure of claim 18, wherein: inserting a tandem into the cavity of the marker-flange includes affixing the marker-flange at a position on the tandem for use as a cervical flange for abutting a cervix upon the insertion of the tandem into a cervical os. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The method for performing a brachytherapy procedure of claim 18, wherein: the marker-flange includes a shaft extending from one of the first and second faces of the flange body, with the shaft having a channel that communicates with the cavity of the flange body, the marker-flange further includes channels formed in the flange body, the channels being dimensioned to receive a suture thread for suturing the flange body to the outer surface of a cervix, inserting a tandem into the cavity of the marker-flange includes affixing the marker-flange at a position on the tandem for use as a cervical sleeve for abutting a cervix upon the insertion of the tandem into a cervical os; and the method further includes inserting the shaft of the marker-flange into a cervical OS, and suturing the marker-flange to the cervix. ### Claim 22 (depends on 18) The method for performing a brachytherapy procedure of claim 18, wherein: inserting a tandem into the cavity of the marker-flange includes inserting a titanium tandem into the cavity; and the method further includes using three-dimensional imaging to guide the titanium tandem, with the marker flange affixed to an outside surface thereof, into an intracavitary treatment region, wherein the three-dimensional imaging is performed using only an MR imaging modality.