BRACHYTHERAPY APPARATUS FOR ASYMMETRICAL BODY CAVITIES

• US 20090326314A1
• Filed: 09/04/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Portola Medical, Inc. (Huiheng Medical, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Portola Medical, Inc. (Huiheng Medical, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ellard, Terence, Higgins, Wayne, Winch, Fredrick W., Terwilliger, Richard A., Cutrer, L. Michael, Zhang, John, Bossi, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,226,539 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/7
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1018 with multiple channels for guiding radioactive sources
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1015 Treatment of resected cavities created by surgery, e.g. lumpectomy

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a brachytherapy apparatus, system and method that delivers partial breast irradiation treatment for post-lumpectomy patients via introduction of a catheter-like device through a trocar. The apparatus may be introduced post-surgically with local anesthesia under image guidance into the previous excision site and into a cavity by a surgeon. The brachytherapy apparatus includes one or more thin-walled tubes, each of said thin-walled tubes being configured to contain one or more radioactive sources, at least one radiation source configured to deliver a prescribed dose of radiation, a whisk adjuster configured to permit adjustment of each of the one or more thin-walled tubes so that the tubes substantially conform to a size of the body cavity; and an expansion element configured to expand outwardly said one or more thin-walled tubes within the cavity so that the thin-walled tubes substantially conform to a shape and/or size of the body cavity.

Claims

1. A brachytherapy system for delivery of localized irradiation to tissue near a cavity that lies beneath a surface of a body comprising:

a brachytherapy device that includes a plurality of cavity tubes configured to be inserted within the cavity and to controllably move from a collapsed state to an expanded state while within the cavity, each cavity tube having a lumen configured to house at least one radioactive source; and

an adapter configured to be removably mounted to the brachytherapy device and to facilitate the connection of an afterloader machine to each of the cavity tubes so as to permit the afterloader machine to insert at least one radiation source into the lumens of each of the cavity tubes and to permit the afterloader machine to control the movement of the at least one radiation source within the lumens of each of the cavity tubes.

2. The brachytherapy system of claim 1 wherein the adapter includes a plurality of adapter tubes, each adapter tube corresponding to a cavity tube, and an opening at a distal end of each adapter tube.

3. The brachytherapy system of claim 2 wherein the adapter tubes are flexible.

4. The brachytherapy system of claim 2 further comprising a cap-like structure to which one end of each of the adapter tubes is connected, the cap-like structure having openings therein that correspond to each of the lumens in the adapter tubes.

5. The brachytherapy system of claim 2 wherein the adapter tubes are flexible.

6. The brachytherapy system of claim 1 wherein the brachytherapy device also includes a center core having a lumen and wherein the adapter is also configured to facilitate the connection of the afterloader machine to the center core so as to permit the afterloader machine to insert the at least one radiation source into the lumen of the center core and to permit the afterloader machine to control the movement of the at least one radiation source within the lumen of the center core.

7. The brachytherapy system of claim 6 wherein the adapter includes an adapter tube corresponding to the center core and there is an opening at the distal end of the adapter tube.

8. The brachytherapy system of claim 7 further comprising a cap-like structure to which the end of the adapter tube is connected, the cap-like structure having an opening therein that corresponds to the lumen in the adapter tube.

9. The brachytherapy system of claim 1 wherein the body is a breast and the cavity is within the breast.

10. A brachytherapy adapter configured to be removably mounted to an expandable brachytherapy device having a plurality of cavity tubes with lumens while the expandable brachytherapy device is within a cavity of a body so as to facilitate the connection of an afterloader machine to each of the cavity tubes so as to permit the afterloader machine to insert at least one radiation source into each of the lumens of the cavity tubes and to permit the afterloader machine to control the movement of the at least one radiation source within each of the lumens of the cavity tubes.

11. The brachytherapy adapter of claim 10 wherein the brachytherapy adapter includes a plurality of adapter tubes, each adapter tube corresponding to a cavity tube, and an opening at a distal end of each adapter tube.

12. The brachytherapy system of claim 11 wherein the adapter tubes are flexible.

14. The brachytherapy system of claim 10 wherein the brachytherapy device also includes a center core having a lumen and wherein the brachytherapy adapter is also configured to facilitate the connection of the afterloader machine to the center core so as to permit the afterloader machine to insert the at least one radiation source into the lumen of the center core and to permit the afterloader machine to control the movement of the at least one radiation source within the lumen of the center core.

15. The brachytherapy system of claim 14 wherein the adapter includes an adapter tube corresponding to the center core and there is an opening at the distal end of the additional adapter tube.

16. The brachytherapy system of claim 15 further comprising a cap-like structure to which one end of the adapter tube is connected, the cap-like structure having an opening therein that corresponds to the lumen in the adapter tube.

17. The brachytherapy system of claim 10 wherein the body is a breast and the cavity is within the breast.

13. The brachytherapy system of claim 13 further comprising a cap-like structure to which one end of each of the adapter tubes is connected, the cap-like structure having openings therein that correspond to each of the lumens in the adapter tubes.

18. A brachytherapy process for delivery of localized irradiation to tissue near a cavity that lies beneath a surface of a body comprising:

a) inserting a brachytherapy device having a plurality of cavity tubes, each with a lumen, within the cavity while in a collapsed state;

b) controllably moving the cavity tubes from a collapsed state to an expanded state while within the cavity;

c) mounting an adapter to the brachytherapy device while the brachytherapy device remains within the cavity;

d) connecting an afterloader machine to the cavity tubes through the adapter;

e) causing the afterloader machine to insert at least one radiation source into at least one of the lumens of the cavity tubes;

f) causing the afterloader machine to remove the at least one radiation source from the at least one lumen of the cavity tubes while the cavity tubes remain within the cavity;

g) dismounting the adapter from the brachytherapy device while the cavity tubes remain within the cavity;

h) controllably moving the cavity tubes from the expanded state to the collapsed state while within the cavity; and

i) removing the brachytherapy device from the cavity while within the collapsed state.

19. The brachytherapy process of claim 18 further comprising repeating steps c-g of claim 18 a plurality of times after performing steps (a) and (b) but before performing steps (h) and (i).