Intraoperative beta probe and method of using the same
First Claim
1. A probe system for preferentially detecting beta radiation over background gamma radiation from a source of beta and gamma radiation comprising:
- a first means for detecting beta and gamma radiation at an arbitrarily selected location; and
a second means for selectively detecting only one type of radiation of said beta and gamma radiation, said second and first means coupled together,whereby beta radiation from near sources is reliably detected and differentiated from gamma radiation emitted from far sources.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An intraoperative radiation probe is devised to detect radiolabelled malignant tissues by being selectively sensitive to beta radiation while insensitive to gamma radiation. The probe is comprised of two plastic scintillators optically coupled to corresponding photomultiplier tubes via corresponding light pipes. One of the plastic scintillators is shielded against beta radiation while the other is left to detect both beta and gamma radiation. The gamma radiation sensitivity of the dual probes is empirically established and used as a weighted factor to subtract the outputs of the two probes to leave a signal indicative of the beta radiation emitted by the radiolabelled tissue. Because of the shorter range of beta radiation within tissue, only near radiolabelled tissue is detected by the probe while strongly radiolabelled, more distant tissues exposing the probe to gamma radiation are ignored. The reliably identified near radiolabelled tissues can then be surgically removed. The probe is usable in any application where local beta radiation is to be differentiated from other types and sources of radiation.
100 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A probe system for preferentially detecting beta radiation over background gamma radiation from a source of beta and gamma radiation comprising:
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a first means for detecting beta and gamma radiation at an arbitrarily selected location; and a second means for selectively detecting only one type of radiation of said beta and gamma radiation, said second and first means coupled together, whereby beta radiation from near sources is reliably detected and differentiated from gamma radiation emitted from far sources. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A dual probe system for preferentially detecting beta radiation emitted by radiopharmaceutically marked tissue marked with isotopes emitting beta and gamma radiation in intraoperative surgery comprising:
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a first detector for detecting beta and gamma radiation, said first detector having an output; a second detector for detecting gamma radiation, said second detector having an output; and means for subtracting a weighted value of said output of said second detector from said output of said first detector to derive a signal indicative of beta radiation detected from said tissue by said dual probe system, whereby the location of radioactively tagged tissues may be reliably and accurately identified utilizing beta radiation notwithstanding gamma radiation originating in adjacent tissues. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for intraoperatively identifying the location of small masses of radioactively tagged tissues comprising the steps of:
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detecting beta and gamma radiation from said tissue in a first detector; simultaneously detecting at substantially the same location gamma radiation from said tissue in a second detector; and comparing the amount of beta and gamma radiation detected by said first detector with the amount of gamma radiation detected by said second detector to generate a weighted difference of the amount of radiation detected by said first and second detectors representative of the amount of beta radiation emitted by said tissue, whereby small masses of tissue radioactively tagged with beta and gamma radiation isotopes may be detected near said location of said first and second detectors notwithstanding the presence of gamma radiation from said tissue more distantly located from said location. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. An improvement in a method for intraoperatively locating small masses of radioactively tagged tissues in the presence of radioactively tagged distant tissue masses each tagged with a radioactive isotope comprising the steps of:
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providing a scintillation detector having a plastic scintillator capable of detecting beta and gamma radiation; and adjusting the threshold energy detectable by said scintillation detector to an energy threshold set at the Compton edge of said radioactive isotope, whereby radioactively tagged near tissue is located notwithstanding the existence of gamma generating radioactively tagged distant tissue. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification