Other

Case Western Reserve University

The Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Endosonics Corporation

Urs Hafeli

Uziel Landau

Matt C Warburton

Eugene J Jung

Jay P Ciezki

Eric J Lee

David Bleam

A method for providing intravascular brachytherapy includes the step of positioning a radiation source within a target area to be radiation and orienting the attenuator found on the catheter. Once the attenuator or shield is properly oriented, a reference or normalization point or marker ( ) is selected. This reference marker ( ) can placed, as one example, on the external elastic lamina closest to catheter ( ) and can serve as a reference point for the brachytherapy treatment. Several other points of interest can be is selected ( ) on the image ( ) or images that have been gathered of the treatment site, with dosage levels ( and ) being display automatically on the display ( ) close to the IVUS image ( ).

Method and apparatus for intravascular brachytherapy treatment planning

The present invention provides a method for preparing an implantable, medical device having at least one radioactive metallic surface. The method comprises the steps of depositing a radioactive metal layer onto the surface of the device. The metal layer comprises a radioactive metal that emits beta particles and that has a half-life of between 2 hours and 7 days and a maximum beta energy of between 0.7 and 2.3 MeV. In one embodiment, the radioactive layer is deposited by electroplating the radioactive metal and a carrier metal onto the metallic surface. In another embodiment, the method further comprises the step of electroplating a second metallic layer comprising a barrier metal onto the radioactive metal layer. The present invention also provides an implantable medical device comprising a surface having a metallic surface comprising a radioactive metallic coating thereon. The coating comprises a radioactive layer comprising a radioactive metal that emits beta-particles. The radioactive metal has a half-life of between 2 hours and 7 days and an energy level of from about 0.7 MeV to 2.3 MeV. In one embodiment the radioactive layer further comprises a carrier metal. In another embodiment, the coating further comprises a second layer deposited on the radioactive layer. The second layer comprises a biocompatible metal. In a preferred embodiment the medical device is a stent. The present invention also relates to a system for applying the radioactive coating to the implantable medical device. The system comprises a package and a sterile electroplating cell contained within the package. The electroplating cell comprises a wall defining a chamber and an electrode attached to the inside wall of the cell or embedded in the inside wall of the cell, so that at least a portion of the electrode is in communication with the chamber. The system further comprises a conductive fastener for electrically connecting the metallic medical device to the power supply and positioning the device within the chamber.

Method of making a radioactive stent

A method for preparing a radioactive, implantable, medical device is provided. The method involves depositing a layer of a radioactive metal that emits beta particles and that has a half-life of between 2 hours and 7 days and a maximum beta energy of between 0.7 and 2.3 MeV onto a metallic surface of the device. In one embodiment, the radioactive metal and a carrier metal are electroplated onto the metallic surface. In another embodiment, a second metallic layer comprising a barrier metal is electroplated onto the radioactive metal layer. A medical device having a metallic surface with a radioactive metallic coating thereon is provided. In one embodiment, the coating comprises a radioactive layer comprising a radioactive metal that emits beta-particles and that has a half-life of between 2 hours and 7 days and an energy level of from about 0.7 MeV to 2.3 MeV and a carrier metal. In another embodiment, the coating further comprises a second layer deposited on the radioactive layer. The second layer comprises a biocompatible metal. A system for applying the radioactive coating to the medical device is also provided The system comprises a package and a sterile electroplating cell contained within the package. The electroplating cell comprises a wall defining a chamber and an electrode attached to the inside wall of the cell or embedded in the inside wall of the cell, so that at least a portion of the electrode is in communication with the chamber. The system further comprises a conductive fastener for electrically connecting the metallic medical device to the power supply and positioning the device within the chamber.

A radiation source for delivering a dose of radiation to a treatment site of a vessel is provided herein. The radiation source includes a delivery wire and a radioactive segment. The radioactive segment includes a substantially coiled or entwined radioactive wire which allows the radioactive segment to have a relatively large surface area to volume ratio. The delivery wire is made of material having a relatively short half-life, such as titanium, while the radioactive segment is made of a material, such as a rhenium or yttrium, which has a much longer half-life.

Growing community of inventors

Cleveland, OH, United States of America

Urs Hafeli