RADIOACTIVE MEDICAL DEVICES AND METHODS OF MAKING RADIOACTIVE MEDICAL DEVICES

摘要

This invention involves radioactive medical devices for inhibiting an undesirable hyperplastic response in biological tissue, and a method for making the radioactive medical devices. In a first preferred embodiment (10), a medical device for inhibiting a hyperplastic response in biological tissue generally comprises polymeric hydrocarbon molecules forming the medical device (10) and a salt or an acid of a radioactive isotope occluded within the polymeric hydrocarbon molecules. In a second preferred embodiment (30), the medical device (30) comprises a thrombogenic sponge (42) having a radioisotope trapped within the structure of the sponge. Also in a preferred embodiment (10 or 30), a method of creating a medical device (10 or 30) according to the present invention comprises: providing a first solvent (12) in a container (11); introducing a salt or an acid of a radioactive isotope (16) into the first solvent (12); introducing a second solvent (18) into the first solution (17) so as to form a second solution (21); and introducing the medical device (10) into the second solution (21), wherein the ionic components of the radioactive isotope migrate into the molecular structure of the medical device (10). In another aspect, a method of creating a medical device (10) that inhibits a hyperplastic response in biological tissue comprises placing a salt or an acid of a radioactive isotope (16) in a fluid and permitting the salt or acid to disassociate in solution, submersing the sponge (42) in the solution and permitting the radioactive isotopes to become trapped in the structure of the sponge (42).