Tissue Marking For Lesion Removal
First Claim
1. A method of marking a cancerous lesion in a breast to provide a medical professional visual and tactile guidance to the cancerous lesion, the method comprising:
- imaging the breast with mammography to identify a location of the cancerous lesion;
inserting a needle into the breast, a tip of the needle at the location of the cancerous lesion;
injecting liquid poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) cooled below a temperature of the breast through the needle into the breast;
removing the needle;
ceasing mammography; and
surgically removing the cancerous lesion from the breast by using the hardened poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) as a reference point.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A preoperative tumor marking may be used to assist physicians in the removal of tumor tissue by clearly defining the margins of the tumor. An imaging technique, such as mammography, may be employed to visualize the tumor. The visualized tumor may be marked with a polymer, either directly or indirectly. The polymer may be liquid at room temperature and harden at body temperature, making the tumor palpable, but not changing the tumor'"'"'s cellular and physical state. The polymer may also include a coloring agent that may aid in visualizing the lesion. This will assist a surgeon during excision by allowing him/her to both feel and see the tumor and remove enough of the tissue surrounding the tumor to greatly reduce the need for a second surgical procedure due to a failure to remove all tumor tissue during an initial surgery.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A method of marking a cancerous lesion in a breast to provide a medical professional visual and tactile guidance to the cancerous lesion, the method comprising:
-
imaging the breast with mammography to identify a location of the cancerous lesion; inserting a needle into the breast, a tip of the needle at the location of the cancerous lesion; injecting liquid poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) cooled below a temperature of the breast through the needle into the breast; removing the needle; ceasing mammography; and surgically removing the cancerous lesion from the breast by using the hardened poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) as a reference point.
-
-
2. A method comprising;
-
identification of a lesion in a patient through an imaging technique; marking a location of the lesion during the imaging technique using a temperature responsive polymer injected through an epidermis directly into a tissue of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A kit comprising:
-
a temperature responsive hydrogel; a syringe; and a needle for delivery of the hydrogel into a tissue of a patient. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification