National Research Council of Canada

The University of Western Ontario

London Health Association

Gordon Campbell

Derek Boughner

Wan-Kei Wan

Ivan Vesely

Victoria Hornblower

Anthony Duncan

Mohan Dokainish

Victoria Homblower

Slawomir Krucinski

A phantom for prostate cancer brachytherapy has a prostate tissue phantom shaped like a real prostate gland, a perineal tissue phantom surrounding the prostate tissue phantom, a skin tissue phantom separating the perineal tissue phantom from an outside environment, and an enclosure. The prostate tissue phantom is a polyvinyl alcohol cryogel (PVA-C) having undergone 3-5 freeze-thaw cycles and having 10-20% w/w PVA in a solvent (e.g. water), 4-8% w/w oil and an amount of acoustic scattering particles to ultrasonically distinguish the prostate-tissue phantom from its surroundings. The perineal tissue phantom is a PVA-C having undergone 1-2 freeze-thaw cycles and having 10-20% w/w PVA in a solvent, 4-8% w/w oil and an amount of acoustic scattering particles to ultrasonically distinguish the perineal tissue phantom from its surroundings. The skin tissue phantom is a PVA-C having undergone at least 6 freeze-thaw cycles and having 15-25% w/w PVA in a solvent. The phantom mimics the imaging and mechanical properties of the prostate and surrounding tissues, providing a realistic phantom for prostate cancer brachytherapy.

Tissue-mimicking phantom for prostate cancer brachytherapy

A bioprosthetic valve stent is fabricated from a hydrogel, and a bioprosthetic heart valve comprises such a stent. A method for fabricating a hydrogel bioprosthetic valve stent comprises filling a mold cavity with a solution of a hydrogel, allowing the hydrogel to solidity, removing the solidified hydrogel from the mold cavity and hydrating the hydrogel.

Expansible bioprosthetic valve stent

A bioprosthetic valve comprising a support ring having three spaced apart end stops projecting upwardly therefrom, a stent post ring having three spaced apart stent posts pivotally connected thereto and adapted to engage respective ones of the end stops so as to permit outward pivoting of the stent posts and to prevent inward pivoting thereof, a leaflet valve having three generally triangular leaflets defining respective cusps, the leaflets being joined at respective commissures, and a sewing ring for attaching the leaflet valve to the stent post ring and support ring.

Bioprostethic valve

Growing community of inventors

London, Canada

Gordon Campbell