337 results about "Brachytherapy" patented technology

Implantable medical device eluting drug locally and in prolonged period is provided, including several types of such a device, the treatment modes of implementation and methods of implantation. The device comprising of polymeric substrate, such as a matrix for example, that is used as the device body, and drugs, and in some cases additional scaffolding materials, such as metals or additional polymers, and materials to enhance visibility and imaging. The selection of drug is based on the advantageous of releasing drug locally and in prolonged period, where drug is released directly to the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the diseased area such as tumor, inflammation, degeneration or for symptomatic objectives, or to injured smooth muscle cells, or for prevention. One kind of drug is the gene silencing drugs based on RNA interference (RNAi), including but not limited to si RNA, sh RNA, or antisense RNA / DNA, ribozyme and nucleoside analogs. The modes of implantation in some embodiments are existing implantation procedures that are developed and used today for other treatments, including brachytherapy and needle biopsy. In such cases the dimensions of the new implant described in this invention are similar to the original implant. Typically a few devices are implanted during the same treatment procedure.

The invention relates to a catheter for brachytherapy having a radiation source for generating β or γ rays. In order to be able to position the catheter as accurately as possible it is proposed according to the invention that a position indicating means is provided in the area of a free end of the catheter, by means of which position indicating means a position in a three-dimensional coordinate system can be determined on the basis of interactions produced when an external magnetic field is applied.

The present invention relates to a device for simultaneously treating a tumor or cancerous growth with both hyperthermia and X-ray radiation using brachytherapy. The device includes a needle-like introducer serving as a microwave antenna. Microwaves are emitted from the introducer to increase the temperature of cancerous body tissue. The introducer is an inner conductor of a coaxial cable. The introducer contains a hollow core which houses an X-ray emitter. The X-ray emitter is connected to a high voltage miniature cable which extends from the X-ray emitter to a high voltage power source. The X-ray emitter emits ionizing radiation to irradiate cancerous tissue. A cooling system is included to control the temperature of the introducer. Temperature sensors placed around the periphery of the tumor monitor the temperature of the treated tissue.

A staple delivery applicator for delivering radioactive staples during brachytherapy medical treatment has an actuating device for at source staples located distally from the actuating device. The actuating device is removably attachable to an actuator arm on a proximal end. A staple applicator cartridge holder is attached to the actuator arm on a distal end. The staple applicator cartridge is mountable in the holder and having a plurality of slots for mounting of radioactive source staples therein. An anvil therein crimps the staples. The staple applicator cartridge holder is removably mountable in a connector and the connector is also removably mounted to a surgical staple holder. A trigger device being one of the actuating devices has a control for closing the anvil of the cartridge holder and for firing of the source staples in the cartridge therein to cause the staples to crimp, and a control for opening the anvil and releasing the trigger device from the actuator arm.

Featured is a robot and a needle delivery apparatus. Such a robot comprises a plurality of actuators coupled to control locating any of number of intervention specific medical devices such as intervention specific needle injectors. Such a robot is usable with image guided interventions using any of a number of types of medical imaging devices or apparatuses including MRI. The end-effector can include an automated low needle delivery apparatus that is configured for dose radiation seed brachytherapy injection. Also featured is an automated seed magazine for delivering seeds to such an needle delivery apparatus adapted for brachytherapy seed injection.

Various embodiments of the present invention provide methods and systems for deterministic calculation of radiation doses, delivered to specified volumes within human tissues and organs, and specified areas within other organisms, by external and internal radiation sources. Embodiments of the present invention provide for creating and optimizing computational mesh structures for deterministic radiation transport methods. In general these approaches seek to both improve solution accuracy and computational efficiency. Embodiments of the present invention provide methods for planning radiation treatments using deterministic methods. The methods of the present invention may also be applied for dose calculations, dose verification, and dose reconstruction for many different forms of radiotherapy treatments, including: conventional beam therapies, intensity modulated radiation therapy (“IMRT”), proton, electron and other charged particle beam therapies, targeted radionuclide therapies, brachytherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery (“SRS”), Tomotherapy®; and other radiotherapy delivery modes. The methods may also be applied to radiation-dose calculations based on radiation sources that include linear accelerators, various delivery devices, field shaping components, such as jaws, blocks, flattening filters, and multi-leaf collimators, and to many other radiation-related problems, including radiation shielding, detector design and characterization; thermal or infrared radiation, optical tomography, photon migration, and other problems.

An apparatus for determining a distribution of a selected therapy in a target volume is provided. A three-dimensional ultrasound transducer captures volume data from the target volume. A computing device is in communication with the three-dimensional ultrasound transducer for receiving the volume data and determining the distribution of the selected therapy in the target volume along a set of planned needle trajectories using the volume data. At least one of the needle trajectories is oblique to at least one other of the planned needle trajectories.

Provided herein is a method of producing europium-152 as a radiotherapeutic source for external beam radiation therapy and brachytherapy using existing containment or capsule devices for the radionuclide. The method comprises irradiating a europium-151 enriched target with neutrons confined to a range of neutron energies effective to drive the reaction 151Eu(n,γ)152Eu. Also provided are methods of treating a subject using external beam radiation therapy or brachytherapy using europium-152.

A phantom for prostate cancer brachytherapy has a prostate tissue phantom shaped like a real prostate gland, a perineal tissue phantom surrounding the prostate tissue phantom, a skin tissue phantom separating the perineal tissue phantom from an outside environment, and an enclosure. The prostate tissue phantom is a polyvinyl alcohol cryogel (PVA-C) having undergone 3-5 freeze-thaw cycles and having 10-20% w / w PVA in a solvent (e.g. water), 4-8% w / w oil and an amount of acoustic scattering particles to ultrasonically distinguish the prostate-tissue phantom from its surroundings. The perineal tissue phantom is a PVA-C having undergone 1-2 freeze-thaw cycles and having 10-20% w / w PVA in a solvent, 4-8% w / w oil and an amount of acoustic scattering particles to ultrasonically distinguish the perineal tissue phantom from its surroundings. The skin tissue phantom is a PVA-C having undergone at least 6 freeze-thaw cycles and having 15-25% w / w PVA in a solvent. The phantom mimics the imaging and mechanical properties of the prostate and surrounding tissues, providing a realistic phantom for prostate cancer brachytherapy.

An apparatus and method for shielding non-target tissues and organs during thermotherapy, brachytherapy or other treatment of a diseased target tissue. The apparatus includes a catheter shaft having input and output lumens and at least one inflatable balloon. A plurality of input lumens within the catheter shaft allows the passage of liquid or gas through an input port and into the interior of the balloon thereby inflating the balloon. The gas or liquid can then be cycled through the inflated balloon through an output port and output lumen and out of the catheter shaft. Temperature sensors or other sensors may be attached to the balloon or catheter to monitor temperature or other conditions at the treatment site. The catheter is positioned between the target tissue or organ and sensitive non-target tissues in proximity to the target tissue and inflated causing a physical separation of tissues as well as a physical shield.

A method, therapeutic probe, and system for treating a tissue margin surrounding an interstitial cavity is provided. The interstitial cavity may be created by resecting tissue, e.g., malignant tissue, from the patient's body to create the interstitial cavity. The interstitial cavity may assume any shape, but in a typical method, the interstitial cavity is spherically shaped. An expandable hyperthermic body of the therapeutic probe is expanded within the interstitial cavity into contact with the tissue margin. The tissue margin is heated with the hyperthermic body, and therapeutic x-ray radiation is conveyed from the hyperthermic body into the tissue margin. Heating of the tissue margin with the hypothermic body may ablate the tissue margin.

A radioactive member for use in brachytherapy comprising a molded elongate, bioabsorbable carrier material with spaced radioactive sources disposed therein, and methods for the manufacture thereof. The radioactive members may be used in treatment of, for example, prostate cancer.

An apparatus and method for shielding non-target tissues and organs during thermotherapy, brachytherapy or other treatment of a diseased target tissue. The apparatus includes a catheter shaft having input and output lumens and at least one inflatable balloon. A plurality of input lumens within the catheter shaft allows the passage of liquid or gas through an input port and into the interior of the balloon thereby inflating the balloon. The gas or liquid can then be cycled through the inflated balloon through an output port and output lumen and out of the catheter shaft. Temperature sensors or other sensors may be attached to the balloon or catheter to monitor temperature or other conditions at the treatment site. The catheter is positioned between the target tissue or organ and sensitive non-target tissues in proximity to the target tissue and inflated causing a physical separation of tissues as well as a physical shield.

A method for performing intraocular brachytherapy and an apparatus for performing the same is disclosed. The apparatus preferably comprises a hand-held delivery device that advances a radiation source into an associated cannula or probe that is positioned adjacent the target tissue. The handpiece provides for shielded storage of the radiation source when retracted from the cannula and includes a slider mechanism for advancing and retracting the radiation source. The radiation source is mounted to a wire that has a flexible distal end and a relatively stiffer proximal end.

A modified Fletcher-Suit tandem tube applicator includes a balloon which can be inflated to both positionally secure the applicator within the vaginal canal and to distend the confronting vaginal wall thereby increasing the distance of such tissue from the radioactive source contained in the tandem tube of applicator and correspondingly reducing radiation damage to nearby tissues and organs such as the rectum and bladder.

Brachytherapy applicators incorporate various forms of selective shielding devices for controlling the direction and intensity of radiation directed at a patient's tissue. In some forms the applicators include a retractable sheath, in some a series of retractable fingers. In other forms the applicator, having an inflatable balloon, has a shield which is retractable from a position adjacent to the balloon or retracted from the balloon, or a shield can itself be inflatable, separately or together with the balloon.

A radiation therapy system and method, especially for brachytherapy, monitors and verifies dose delivered at a plurality of points at or near the region to be irradiated, integrating verification with radiation delivery. In one procedure, mapping is used to determine the shape and location of the region to be irradiated. A treatment plan is developed using the mapping information and a dose prescription. As radiation is delivered to the target region internally, preferably using an electronic radiation source, the dose received at plural points is monitored and continually fed to a central processor. As needed based on feedback, the system modifies the treatment plan and delivery of radiation accordingly, to arrive substantially at the prescribed dose at all locations in the region. In a modified procedure the treatment is done according to a prescription dose but without a treatment plan by multiple iterations of source pullback and feedback and analysis of dose received in the tissue. Source radiation levels and / or pattern and dwell are modified for each successive iteration and preferably for different dwell points in an iteration.

A modified Fletcher-Suit tandem tube applicator includes a balloon which can be inflated to both positionally secure the applicator within the vaginal canal and to distend the confronting vaginal wall thereby increasing the distance of such tissue from the radioactive source contained in the tandem tube of applicator and correspondingly reducing radiation damage to nearby tissues and organs such as the rectum and bladder.

Methods and computer readable media are disclosed for ultimately developing a dosimetry plan for a treatment volume irradiated during radiation therapy with a radiation source concentrated internally within a patient or incident from an external beam. The dosimetry plan is available in near"real-time" because of the novel geometric model construction of the treatment volume which in turn allows for rapid calculations to be performed for simulated movements of particles along particle tracks therethrough. The particles are exemplary representations of alpha, beta or gamma emissions emanating from an internal radiation source during various radiotherapies, such as brachytherapy or targeted radionuclide therapy, or they are exemplary representations of high-energy photons, electrons, protons or other ionizing particles incident on the treatment volume from an external source. In a preferred embodiment, a medical image of a treatment volume irradiated during radiotherapy having a plurality of pixels of information is obtained.

A flexible or elastic brachytherapy strand that includes an imaging marker and / or a therapeutic, diagnostic or prophylactic agent such as a drug in a biocompatible carrier that can be delivered to a subject upon implantation into the subject through the bore of a brachytherapy implantation needle has been developed. Strands can be formed as chains or continuous arrays of seeds up to 50 centimeters or more, with or without spacer material, flaccid, rigid, or flexible.

This invention pertains to a method of low-cost intraoperative all field simultaneous parallel microbeam single fraction few seconds duration 100 to 1,000 Gy and higher dose radiosurgery with micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS)-carbon nanotube based microaccelerators. It ablates cancer cells including the mesenchymal epithelial transformation associated cancer stem cells. Microbeam brachy-therapeutic radiosurgery is performed. Microaccelerators are configured for simultaneous parallel microbeam emission from varying angels to an isocentric tumor. Their additive dose rate at the isocentric tumor is in the range of 10,000 to 20,000 Gy / s. It eliminates most tumor recurrence and metastasis which enhances cancer cure rates. It also exposes cancer antigens which induces cancer immunity. Stereotactic breast core biopsy is combined with, positron emission tomography and computerized tomography and phase-contrast imaging. Parallel microbeam brachytherapy preserves normal breast appearance. Migration of normal stem cells from unirradiated valley regions heals the radiation damage to the normal tissue.

Echogenic medical devices, methods of fabrication and methods of use are disclosed. The device can be adapted to be inserted into a patient. The echogenic construction can be incorporated into the device at the time of fabrication providing acoustic impedance different from that of the surrounding biological tissue or fluid. The medical device is designed for use with an ultrasound imaging system to provide real-time location of the insertion and guidance at the time the device is implanted in a patient, such as in brachytherapy. Following placement of the device the position can be evaluated over time to insure the device remains in proper alignment and functional. Furthermore, the device is designed to incorporate a spacer element at one or both ends to provide separation between radioactive elements.

A system and method providing conformal x-ray brachytherapy for treatment of tumors by irradiation of a target volume of tissue in a patient is disclosed wherein an x-ray probe including an x-ray emitter, an imaging probe configured to image the target volume, a translation stage mounting the x-ray probe for translational motion, a rotation stage mounting the x-ray probe for rotational motion, a support base mounting the x-ray and imaging probes in known relation to each other, and a computer operatively connected to the x-ray and imaging probes and the rotation and translation stages are provided to image and control the operation of the x-ray probe to irradiate the target volume according to predetermined treatment protocols.

A gynecological balloon apparatus has a first balloon and a second balloon disposed with a gynecological brachytherapy applicator. The first and second balloons are each movable between an inflated condition and a deflated condition. The first and second balloons may conform to a shape of a vaginal cavity when in their inflated conditions. A radiation detecting sensor and a motion detecting sensor may be positioned with the apparatus.

A catheter for the positioning of a radioactive material for therapeutic radiation treatment of the body is disclosed. The catheter includes a radioactive source positioned at the distal end thereof and is sufficiently flexible and strong to navigate in the body to the desired treatment location. The radioactive source may be provided to the catheter in a number of different ways. In one set of embodiments, the radioactive source is bonded to the inner or outer surface of the catheter body, a catheter attachment or a carrier positionable within the catheter body. In another set of embodiments, one of the catheter body, catheter attachment or carrier positionable within the catheter body includes a cavity within which the radioactive source is placed. In this set of embodiments, the radioactive source may be provided in a variety of different forms, depending upon the particular needs of the treatment method. The radioactive source may also be immobilized in a polymeric material such as an elastomer, gel, hydrogel, foam or other similar deformable material. Finally, the catheter body or carrier may include a removable portion which provides access to the cavity within which the radioactive source is housed.