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US 7,077,800 B2Granted
Cable attachment for a radioactive brachytherapy source capsule
AssigneeUT-Battelle, LLC
InventorsIan G Gross, Larry A Pierce
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In cancer brachytherapy treatment, a small californium-252 neutron source capsule is attached to a guide cable using a modified crimping technique. The guide cable has a solid cylindrical end, and the attachment employs circumferential grooves micromachined in the solid cable end. The attachment was designed and tested, and hardware fabricated for use inside a radioactive hot cell. A welding step typically required in other cable attachments is avoided.
Claims7
A brachytherapy device comprising:
- a guide cable having a solid cylindrical end, said end having a plurality of individual abutting circumferential grooves machined at an angle greater than 90 degrees in its cylindrical surface;
- and
- a cylindrical capsule for containing a radioactive source, said capsule having a the same outer diameter as said guide cable, said capsule also having a raised cylindrical crimp region, said crimp region including a smooth-walled cylindrical cavity for receiving said solid cylindrical end of said guide cable, said capsule compressed in said crimp region upon said circumferential grooves until said cylindrical cavity wall deforms around said circumferential grooves to form a high tensile strength bond with said grooves, and said crimp region has been compressed to the same diameter as said cylindrical capsule and said guide cable.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.