Apparatus for vacuum-assisted handling and loading of radioactive seeds and spacers into implant needles within an enclosed visible radiation shield for use in therapeutic radioactive seed implantation

摘要

A vacuum assisted handling and loading of radioactive seeds into implant needles from a lead glass shielded glass tube and with seeds manipulated within an enclosed visible radiation shield. Radioactive seeds and spacers are located on a loading platform within a shield having at least two transparent side walls for viewing into the interior of the shield. A vacuum pickup probe is inserted into the shield to manipulate the radioactive seeds and spacers to lift and drop the radioactive seeds and spacers into the funnel leading to a glass tube, behind a lead glass window. The manipulation of the vacuum pickup probe is performed from outside of the shield and vacuum force exerted through the pickup probe and the glass tube on the radioactive seeds or spacers. When the desired sequence of seeds and spacers has been achieved and visually verified through the glass tube window, the implant needle within its slip shield body is positioned through the visible radiation shield to dock with the funnel opening of the glass tube in the loading platform. A vacuum force is applied to the interior of the implant needle and the sequence of seeds/spacers in the glass tube is drawn up into the docked implant needle surrounded by a slip shield body. While the needle interior vacuum is still active, the loaded implant needle in the slip shield body is withdrawn from the visible radiation shield docking position and the terminal end of the implant needle is sealed and placed in a needle slip shield holder according to a template designation.