Brachytherapy apparatus for dispensing medication

• US 20060063961A1
• Filed: 08/24/2004
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: C.R. Bard, Inc. (Becton Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: C.R. Bard, Inc. (Becton Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Drobnik, Michael W., Drobnik, Christopher D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,588,528 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/7
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1011 Apparatus for permanent insertion of sources
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1027 Interstitial radiation therapy

Abstract

An applicator system for interstitial radiation therapy that uses a brachytherapy needle assembly for simultaneously dispensing an effective amount of medicine, such as anti-inflammatory agents, along with radioactive seeds. A medicine cartridge or a modified seed cartridge, having a reservoir on its proximal end, can be attached to the applicator body for dispensing medicine into a needle or medicine can be injected into the needle via a three-way fitting attached to the applicator body. Alternatively, a modified stylet having a reservoir on its proximal end containing medicine can be used to deliver medication to a needle. Additionally, the brachytherapy needle or the radioactive seeds and spacers can be coated with medication that would be absorbed by the body upon implantation.

Claims

1. A method of performing a brachytherapy procedure with an applicator system comprising a needle and a seed cartridge attached to the needle, the method comprising:

inserting a brachytherapy needle having a lumen into a desired location in a patient along an insertion path extending from a proximal initial insertion point to a distal needle endpoint;

dispensing at least one radiation source from the cartridge into the brachytherapy needle, then from the needle, to a location in the insertion path; and

dispensing medication from the brachytherapy needle to a location in the insertion path before the brachytherapy needle is removed from the insertion path,

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the medication comprises an anti-inflammatory material.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the medication comprises an anesthetic.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the applicator system comprises a second cartridge for holding and dispensing medication is attached to the needle and the second cartridge dispenses medication to the needle for dispensing to the insertion path.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the needle comprises a three-way fitting attached to the needle chuck and liquid medication is dispensed from a reservoir coupled to the three-way fitting.

6. The method of claim 1, including coating the needle with medication.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the applicator system comprises dispensing medication from a modified cartridge having a medicine reservoir for holding and dispensing medication and at least one radiation source into the needle chuck.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the applicator system comprises a hollow stylet having a reservoir in fluid communication with the proximal end of the stylet.

9. A brachytherapy applicator system, comprising:

a brachytherapy needle having a lumen, a needle chuck coupled to the proximal end of the needle, a radiation source cartridge coupled to the chuck/needle assembly, constructed and arranged to dispense seeds, one seed at a time, as a stylet pushes the seed through the lumen, then retracts proximal of the cartridge; and

a medication dispensing structure, comprising a reservoir constructed to store liquid medication in fluid communication with the lumen;

whereby the system is constructed and arranged to dispense both medication and radiation sources to substantially the same location in the patient, through the lumen, without removing the needle from the patient

10. The brachytherapy system of claim 9, wherein the reservoir contains medication comprising anti-inflammatory material.

11. The brachytherapy system of claim 9, wherein the reservoir contains medication comprising anesthetic.

12. The brachytherapy system of claim 9, wherein the stylet comprises a hollow shaft and is sized to fit within the lumen so that sources can be dispensed by moving the stylet relative to the lumen, wherein the reservoir is joined to the stylet and is in fluid communication with the hollowed portion of the stylet to dispense medication through the stylet.

13. The brachytherapy system of claim 9, wherein the needle has a three-way fitting attached to the needle chuck and the reservoir is in fluid communication with the lumen through the three-way fitting.

14. The brachytherapy system of claim 9, wherein the needle is coated with medication.

15. The brachytherapy system of claim 9, wherein the needle comprises a dual lumen and one lumen is sized and positioned to receive radioactive sources from the cartridge and the second lumen is in fluid communication with the reservoir storing medication.

16. The brachytherapy system of claim 9, wherein a second cartridge for holding and dispensing medication is attached to the needle chuck.

17. The brachytherapy system of claim 9, wherein a modified cartridge having a medicine reservoir for holding and dispensing medication and at least one radiation source into the needle chuck is attached to the needle chuck.