Needle guidance device for brachytherapy and method of use

Abstract

A brachytherapy needle guidance device is a device that facilitates the placement of a brachytherapy needle into a treatment region in tissue. This tissue may a breast tissue and the brachytherapy needle may be a fiducial needle. The brachytherapy needle guidance device may have an anchoring feature that anchors the brachytherapy needle guidance device into the tissue once it is properly positioned. The brachytherapy needle guidance device is used by software for treatment planning.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A brachytherapy needle guidance device, comprising:
 a hollow body portion having a distal end and a proximal end;   an anchoring feature that is capable of anchoring the hollow body portion into tissue;   an imaging feature that is capable of being imaged by a medical imaging modality and used by a treatment planning software to determine a position and orientation of the hollow body portion;   a feature at the distal end of the hollow body portion that is capable of penetrating the tissue in order to insert the hollow body portion into the tissue; and   wherein a brachytherapy needle is guided into the tissue once the hollow body portion is anchored in the tissue.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the anchoring feature is one of a set of holes for suturing, a set of hooks, a button, and an inflatable balloon. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the feature that is capable of penetrating the tissue further comprises one of a sharpened tip at a distal end of the hollow body portion and a trocar with an open end. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the hollow body portion further comprises one of a guidewire that can be used with a hollow needle and a balloon catheter. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1  further comprising a brachytherapy template attached to a proximal end of the hollow body portion. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 3 , wherein the hollow body portion is a catheter that is inserted into the tissue using the trocar. 
     
     
         7 . A method for guiding a brachytherapy needle, the method comprising:
 providing a needle guidance device having a hollow body portion having a distal end and a proximal end, an anchoring feature that is capable of anchoring the brachytherapy needle guidance device into tissue and a feature at the distal end of the body portion that is capable of penetrating the tissue in order to insert the brachytherapy needle guidance device into the tissue;   imaging the needle guidance device and using a treatment planning software to plan a set of characteristics of insertion of a brachytherapy needle into the treatment region;   inserting the needle guidance device into a treatment region in the tissue; and   anchoring, by the anchoring feature of the needle guidance device, the needle guidance device at the treatment region.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein providing the needle guidance anchoring feature further comprising providing one of a set of holes for suturing, a set of hooks and an inflatable balloon. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein providing the needle guidance feature that is capable of penetrating the tissue further comprises providing one of a sharpened tip at a distal end of the hollow body portion and a trocar with an open end. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein providing the needle guidance body portion further comprises providing one of a guidewire that can be used with a hollow needle and a balloon catheter. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein imaging the needle guidance device further comprises determining, by an imaging modality, a position and an orientation of needle guidance device in the tissue. 
     
     
         12 . A brachytherapy treatment method using needle guidance, the method comprising:
 installing a needle guidance device into a treatment region in a tissue;   anchoring the needle guidance device at the treatment region;   determining, by an imaging modality, a position and an orientation of the anchored needle guidance device;   planning, by a treatment planning software based on the position and orientation of the anchored needle guidance device, a set of characteristics for an insertion of a brachytherapy device into the treatment region;   inserting the brachytherapy device using the needle guidance device without imaging into the treatment region during insertion of the brachytherapy device; and   placing, using the brachytherapy device, one or more radioactive seeds into the treatment region.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  further comprising attaching a brachytherapy template onto the needle guidance device and wherein inserting the brachytherapy device further comprises inserting the brachytherapy device through the brachytherapy template into the treatment region. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  13 , wherein the brachytherapy device further comprises a brachytherapy fiducial needle. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein installing the needle guidance device further comprises one of penetrating the tissue using a sharpened tip at a distal end of the needle guidance device, using a trocar to install the needle guidance device and inserting a catheter into the tissue using the trocar. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein anchoring the needle guidance device further comprises one of suturing the needle guidance device once installed into the treatment region and deploying one or more hooks once installed into the treatment region. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein placing one or more radioactive seeds into the treatment region further comprises placing the one or more radioactive seeds into a lumpectomy cavity in breast tissue.