Radiation responsive surgical instrument
US5441050A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 18, 1992 |
| Grant date | Aug 15, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 18, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B2090/3614
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A crystal containing detector particularly suited for use in immunoguided surgery capable of detecting gamma emissions present at tumor sites. The instrument utilizes a cadmium-zinc-telluride detector crystal which may be retained within a finger mount positioned over the surgeon's finger. Within this mount there also is incorporated a first preamplification stage designed to accumulate charge signals from the detector as well as to drive a relatively short length of cable to a second preamplification stage located, for example, within a housing at the surgeon's upper arm. The small finger mounted probe may be moved between operative orientations at the underside of the tip of the finger to stand-by orientations at the top of the finger adjacent the knuckles. In an additional embodiment, the finger probe incorporates a sodium iodide crystal, the scintillations from which are transmitted via a short length of fiber optic cable to an upper arm mounted housing which contains a photomultiplier tube. Signals from the remote, arm-mounted housing then are transmitted via longer cabling or the like to a control console.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.