Claims
- 1. A flexible source wire for radiation treatment of diseases within a body comprising:
a flexible, hollow, elongated housing tube having a distal end and a proximal end, said housing tube constructed from a material exhibiting little or no memory retention when bent; a flexible backbone wire having a proximal end, said proximal end of said wire being disposed in said housing tube; and a radiation source or sources provided within said housing tube, said proximal end of said flexible backbone wire being adjacent to said radiation source or sources.
- 2. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 1 further including a plug which is sealed to said proximal end of said housing tube.
- 3. The flexible source wire of claim 1, wherein said radioactive source is encapsulated within a neutron permeable material.
- 4. The flexible source wire of claim 1, wherein said radioactive source is included within a thin walled-capsule.
- 5. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 1, wherein said backbone wire is completely disposed in said housing tube.
- 6. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 1 wherein a portion of the inner surface of said proximal end of said housing tube exhibits a tapered funnel shape for ease of loading said radioactive source or sources within said flexible housing tube.
- 7. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 4 wherein at least one end of said capsule is rounded.
- 8. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 3 wherein at least one end of said encapsulated radioactive source or sources is rounded.
- 9. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 1 wherein said backbone wire is affixed to the interior wall of said flexible housing tube at one or more locations.
- 10. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 1, wherein said backbone wire includes a distal end, and wherein said distal end is disposed within said tube.
- 11. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 1 wherein the outer surface of said housing tube is coated with a non-oxidizing agent.
- 12. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 13 wherein said non-oxidizing agent is gold.
- 13. A flexible source wire for radiation treatment of diseases within a body comprising:
a flexible, hollow, elongated housing tube having a distal end and a proximal end, said housing tube constructed from a material exhibiting little or no memory retention when bent; a flexible backbone wire having a proximal end, said proximal end of said wire inserted into said tube; and a radiation source or sources provided within said housing tube, said proximal end of said flexible backbone wire being adjacent to said radiation source or sources.
- 14. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 13 further including a plug, which is sealed to said proximal end of said housing tube.
- 15. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 13 wherein a portion of the inner surface of said proximal end of said housing tube exhibits a tapered funnel shape for ease of loading said radioactive source or sources within said flexible housing tube.
- 16. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 13 wherein at least one end of said capsule is rounded.
- 17. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 13, wherein said backbone wire is affixed to the interior wall of said flexible housing tube at one or more locations.
- 18. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 13 wherein the outer surface of said housing tube is coated with a non-oxidizing agent.
- 19. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 18 wherein said non-oxidizing agent is gold.
- 20. The flexible source wire of claim 13, wherein the radioactive source is encapsulated within a neutron permeable material.
- 21. The flexible source wire of claim 13, wherein the radioactive source is included within a thin-walled capsule.
- 22. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 13, wherein said backbone wire is completely inserted in said housing tube.
- 23. The flexible source wire of claim 13, wherein the backbone wire includes a distal end, and wherein the backbone wire is completely inserted such that the distal end is disposed within the tube.
- 24. A flexible source wire for radiation treatment of diseases within a body comprising:
a flexible, hollow, elongated housing tube having a distal end and a proximal end, said housing tube constructed from a material exhibiting little or no memory retention when bent; a flexible backbone wire having a proximal end, said proximal end of said wire inserted into said tube; a capsule inserted into said proximal end of said flexible elongated housing tube; a radiation source or sources inserted into said capsule; and a plug which seals said proximal end of said housing tube.
- 25. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 24 wherein a portion of the inner surface of said proximal end of said housing tube exhibits a tapered funnel shape for ease of loading said radioactive source or sources within said flexible housing tube.
- 26. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 24 wherein at least one end of said capsule is rounded.
- 27. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 24 wherein said backbone wire is affixed to the interior wall of said flexible housing tube at one or more locations.
- 28. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 24 wherein the outer surface of said housing tube is coated with a non-oxidizing agent.
- 29. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 28 wherein said non-oxidizing agent is gold.
- 30. The flexible source wire in accordance with claim 24, wherein said backbone wire is completely disposed in said housing tube.
- 31. The flexible source wire of claim 24, wherein the backbone wire includes a distal end, and wherein the backbone wire is disposed completely within the tube such that the distal end is disposed within the tube.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a continuing application of co-pending application Ser. No. 09/455,579, filed on Dec. 6, 1999, which is a divisional application of co-pending application Ser. No. 08/827,787, filed on Apr. 11, 1997, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/480,307, filed on Jun. 7, 1995, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/257,045, filed Jun. 8, 1994, the entire disclosures of which are specifically incorporated by reference herein.
Divisions (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
08827787 |
Apr 1997 |
US |
Child |
09455579 |
Dec 1999 |
US |
Parent |
08480307 |
Jun 1995 |
US |
Child |
08827787 |
Apr 1997 |
US |
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09455579 |
Dec 1999 |
US |
Child |
09681303 |
Mar 2001 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
08257045 |
Jun 1994 |
US |
Child |
08480307 |
Jun 1995 |
US |