System and method for delivering a medical treatment to a treatment site

A device for treating an occlusion or constriction in a vessel or other bodily conduit, which comprises:

• an elongated flexible catheter having a proximal end and a distal end;
• a balloon system disposed about the catheter near the distal end thereof;
• a conduit extending along the catheter from the proximal end thereof to at least a position adjacent the balloon system;
• and
• a hollow treatment lumen disposed within the catheter and defining an interior chamber sealed from fluid communication with the exterior of the lumen, the treatment lumen having a proximal portion which defines an elongated extension such that a medical treatment source is maneuverable from a non-sterile environment disposed a distance away from an treatment site to a sterile field disposed in proximity to the treatment site.

A method of delivering a medical treatment to a treatment site in a vessel or other conduit in a mammalian body, comprising the steps of:

• providing an afterloader including a housing, a drive member, and a conduit having a first end operatively associated with an output portion of the drive member, and a connector disposed at a second end, the connector defining a first mating surface having a presence sensing mechanism disposed thereon;
• and
• connecting an elongated transport tube having a proximal end defining a second mating surface to form a continuous passageway between the conduit and the elongated transport tube;
• locking the first and second mating surfaces together with a locking mechanism including a plate member positionable within a channel formed on one of the mating surfaces;
• sensing a substantially complete connection between the first and second mating surfaces;
• and
• advancing a medical treatment source through the transport tube to a treatment site.