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 method comprising:
- determining one or more dimensions of a surgically created cavity;
- determining a quantity of carriers based at least on the one or more dimensions and a radiation dose of the carriers, wherein each of the carriers comprises:
- a biocompatible substrate comprising a unitary structure having a first surface, an opposing second surface, and a thickness greater than two millimeters and less than eight millimeters between the first surface and the second surface;
- and
- one or more radionuclide seeds inserted within the biocompatible substrate between the first surface and the second surface via one or more preformed loading channels in a third surface of the biocompatible substrate;
- and
- positioning the carriers on exposed surfaces of the surgically created cavity to apply radioactive energy from the one or more radionuclide seeds to at least some mammalian tissue forming the surgically created cavity.
A method of producing a dosimetrically customizable implant, the method comprising:
- (a) determining one or more dimensions of a surgically created cavity;
- (b) providing a plurality of carriers each comprising:
- a biocompatible substrate comprising a unitary structure having a first surface, an opposing second surface, and a thickness greater than two millimeters and less than eight millimeters between the first surface and the second surface;
- and
- one or more radionuclide seeds inserted within the biocompatible substrate between the first surface and the second surface through one or more preformed loading channels in a third surface of the biocompatible substrate;
- (c) positioning a first carrier on an exposed surface of the surgically created cavity;
- (d) determining whether a dosimetric need is satisfied based on at least a targeted radionuclide dose of the first carrier delivering an effective dose of radiation to a tumor while minimizing radiation exposure to normal tissue;
- (e) in response to determining that the dosimetric need is not satisfied, positioning one or more additional carriers on the exposed surface of the surgically created cavity adjacent an already placed carrier;
- and
- (f) repeating (d) and (e) until the dosimetric need is satisfied.
A treatment method comprising:
- determining one or more dimensions of a surgically created cavity;
- providing a plurality of carriers each comprising:
- a collagen-based substrate comprising a unitary structure having a first surface, and an opposing second surface;
- and
- one or more radionuclide seeds inserted within the collagen-based substrate between the first surface and the second surface through one or more preformed loading channels extending through the collagen-based substrate from a third surface at a proximal end of the collagen-based substrate to a fourth surface at a distal end of the collagen-based substrate;
- providing a radiation shielding layer comprising a high Z material;
- and
- positioning the carriers and the radiation shielding layer on exposed surfaces of the surgically created cavity to apply radioactive energy from the one or more radionuclide seeds to at least some mammalian tissue forming the surgically created cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.