Customizable radioactive carriers and loading system
AssigneeGt Medical Technologies, Inc.
InventorsPeter Nakaji, David Brachman, Heyoung McBride, Emad Youssef, Theresa Thomas
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Abstract
Carriers for embodying radioactive seeds, as well as a device for loading and customizing brachytherapy carriers based on the principles of optimizing a more precise and predictable dosimetry, and adaptable to the geometric challenges of a tumor bed in a real-time setting. The present disclosure relates to a specialized loading device designed to enable a medical team to create a radionuclide carrier for each patient and tumor reliably, reproducibly and efficiently.
Claims20
A treatment apparatus configured for at least partial placement in a surgically-created cavity of a mammal, the treatment apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of rectangular flaps that are planar and each includes an antipodal surface and an opposing treatment surface, wherein the plurality of flaps include at least:
- a distal flap coupled to a first side of one or more central flaps of the treatment apparatus;
- and
- a proximal flap coupled to a second side of the one or more central flaps of the treatment apparatus;
- and
- a plurality of radioactive seeds embedded in respective flaps;
- wherein the treatment apparatus is flexible and is configured for flexing to a non-planar state wherein the proximal flap is adjacent to the distal flap, the plurality of rectangular flaps defining an interior of the treatment apparatus while in the non-planar state, wherein the antipodal surfaces of the flaps face toward the interior of the treatment apparatus in the non-planar state and the treatment surfaces of the flaps face away from the interior of the treatment apparatus toward at least some tissue of the surgically-created cavity in the non-planar state;
- and
- wherein the treatment apparatus is configured to emit radioactive energy from the seeds to at least some mammalian tissue of the cavity through the treatment surfaces;
- wherein a thickness of the plurality of flaps between the treatment surface and the antipodal surface is between 2 millimeters and 7 millimeters;
- wherein the radioactive seeds are positioned closer to the antipodal surface of the plurality of flaps than to the treatment surface of the plurality of the flaps, or are positioned closer to the treatment surface of the plurality of flaps than to the antipodal surface of the plurality of the flaps.
A treatment apparatus configured for at least partial placement in a cavity of a mammal, the treatment apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of rectangular flaps;
- and
- a radioactive seed embedded in each of the plurality of flaps;
- wherein the treatment apparatus is flexible and is configured for flexing in a manner that a first flap of the plurality of flaps at a proximal end of the treatment apparatus is configured to be adjacent to a second flap of the plurality of flaps at a distal end of the treatment apparatus in a manner that a treatment surface of the plurality of flaps is exposed on an outer surface of an at least partially closed polyhedron formed by the flexed treatment apparatus, the treatment apparatus configured to emit radioactive energy from the radioactive seeds to at least some mammalian tissue forming the cavity;
- wherein a thickness of the plurality of flaps is between 2 millimeters and 7 millimeters;
- wherein the radioactive seeds are positioned closer to an antipodal surface of the plurality of flaps than to the treatment surface of the plurality of flaps, or are positioned closer to the treatment surface of the plurality of flaps than to the antipodal surface of the plurality of flaps.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.