Method of treating a body vessel or duct with radiation from within the lumen
First Claim
1. A source wire for treating tissue within a patient'"'"'s body by localized in vivo radiation of tissue at a target site from a radioactive source of the source wire, the source wire being introducible by applicator to the target site via an implanted catheter or a natural vessel, duct or chamber of the patient'"'"'s body that provides a pathway or portion of a pathway to the target site from a point external to the body, said source wire comprising:
- an elongate wire composed of nickel-titanium alloy, having preselected properties of flexibility, springiness, slipperiness, mechanical strength and shape memory retention, said elongate wire having a proximal end and a distal end, and a radioactive source assembled with said elongate wire at the distal tip thereof for delivery through said pathway to the target site by loading and advancing the elongate wire along the pathway from the proximal end of the elongate wire, until the source is disposed at the target area for irradiating the selected tissue.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method is disclosed to treat the wall of a blood vessel from within the lumen thereof with a radiation catheter that includes a working or radiotherapy lumen, a longitudinally channeled distal balloon, and a balloon inflation lumen. The method includes steps of inserting the catheter into the vessel lumen until the balloon is adjacent a target site of the vessel wall to be treated, inflating the balloon to substantially center the catheter radiotherapy lumen within the vessel lumen at the target site while allowing perfusion of blood past the inflated balloon through channels formed by the balloon, advancing a radioactive source into the catheter radiotherapy lumen to position the source within a region of that lumen along a portion of the catheter occupied by the balloon; and withdrawing the source after it has been positioned within that region of the radiotherapy lumen for a predetermined interval of time.
58 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A source wire for treating tissue within a patient'"'"'s body by localized in vivo radiation of tissue at a target site from a radioactive source of the source wire, the source wire being introducible by applicator to the target site via an implanted catheter or a natural vessel, duct or chamber of the patient'"'"'s body that provides a pathway or portion of a pathway to the target site from a point external to the body, said source wire comprising:
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an elongate wire composed of nickel-titanium alloy, having preselected properties of flexibility, springiness, slipperiness, mechanical strength and shape memory retention, said elongate wire having a proximal end and a distal end, and a radioactive source assembled with said elongate wire at the distal tip thereof for delivery through said pathway to the target site by loading and advancing the elongate wire along the pathway from the proximal end of the elongate wire, until the source is disposed at the target area for irradiating the selected tissue. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16)
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14. A method of treating smooth muscle cell tissue within the body of a patient, using a radioactive source wire, comprising the steps of:
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implanting a catheter in the patient to provide a pathway from a point external to the patient'"'"'s body to a point at or near a predetermined target area about the patient'"'"'s heart for the tissue to be treated, advancing a source wire including an elongate lead having a distal end with a radioactive source thereat and a proximal end from which the source wire is advanced, through the catheter by limiting the elongate lead to a sufficiently small diameter to carry the radioactive source to the immediate vicinity of the tissue for irradiation thereof in the target area, having selected the elongate lead to be sufficiently flexible and mechanically strong to traverse the catheter without substantial kinking while resisting breakage, halting the advance of the source wire through the catheter when the distal end reaches the point at which the source wire is to irradiate tissue in the target area, irradiating the targeted tissue for a predetermined interval of time, and withdrawing the source wire from the catheter immediately upon completing the irradiation of tissue for the duration of the interval.
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Specification