Surgical probe apparatus and system and method of use thereof

A hand-held probe comprising:

• a detector having a first mating component and being configured to generate an electrical signal from an operative portion of the detector relating to the proximity of a source inside a patient body to the operative portion of the detector;
• a handle including a second mating component configured to removably mate with the first mating component such that the handle is removably coupleable with the detector;
• and
• a display having a first numerical representation and a second numerical representation, wherein the first numerical representation is configured to depict a count generated by the detector in real-time, wherein the second numerical representation is configured to depict an operator selectable count.

A system, comprising:

• a hand-held probe including:
• a detector having a first mating component and being configured to generate a low-level electrical signal relating to a radiation source proximate the detector;
• a handle including:
• a second mating component configured to removably mate with the first mating component such that the handle is removably connectable with the detector;
• a probe link configured to transmit a message containing gamma data relating to the low-level electrical signal;
• and
• an instrumentation console including:
• a housing;
• a console link within the housing and configured to receive the message transmitted by the probe link;
• and
• a receiver electrically coupled to the console link to convert the message to corresponding electrical display signals, and a visually perceivable display electrically coupled to the receiver to convert the electrical display signals to a visually perceivable display relating to the amount of radiation detected, wherein the visually perceivable display includes a first indicator and a second indicator, wherein the first indicator relates to a current amount of radiation detected, wherein the second indicator relates to a target amount of radiation detected.

A hand-held probe for locating tissue for surgical removal comprising:

• a handle;
• a detector attached to the handle and configured to generate a low-level electrical signal from an operative end of the detector relating to a radiation source proximate the detector;
• and
• a display, wherein the display in communication with the detector, wherein the display includes a first graphical representation, a second graphical representation, and a third graphical representation, wherein the first graphical representation is configured to correspond to the low-level electrical signal generated by the detector, wherein the second graphical representation is configured to correspond to a user selectable target signal, wherein the third graphical representation is configured to graphically depict a proportional relationship between the low-level electrical signal and the target signal.