Customizable radioactive carriers and loading system
AssigneeGt Medical Technologies, Inc.
InventorsPeter Nakaji, David Brachman, Heyoung McBride, Emad Youssef, Theresa Thomas
Life of this patent
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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 collagen-based substrate having a first surface, an opposing second surface, and a substantially uniform thickness of between about two to seven millimeters therebetween;
- and
- one or more radionuclide seeds embedded in the collagen-based substrate;
- and
- positioning the carriers on exposed surfaces of the surgically created cavity to apply radioactive energy from the 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 collagen-based substrate having a first surface, an opposing second surface, and a substantially uniform thickness of between about two to seven millimeters therebetween;
- and
- one or more radionuclide seeds embedded in the collagen-based substrate;
- (c) positioning a first carrier on an exposed surface of the surgically created cavity;
- (d) determining whether a dosimetric need is satisfied;
- (e) in response to determining that the dosimetric need is not satisfied, positioning an additional carrier 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 having a first surface, an opposing second surface, and a substantially uniform thickness of between about two to seven millimeters therebetween;
- one or more radionuclide seeds embedded in the collagen-based substrate;
- and
- 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 radionuclide seeds to at least some mammalian tissue forming the surgically created cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.