Implantable marker body for breast treatment
The invention relates to a marker body ( 10 ) for marking breast tissue for radiotherapy. The marker body ( 10 ) has an at least partly tube-like body ( 12 ) which is made from a soft elastic material and carries multiple radio-opaque marker elements ( 18 ). The at least partly tube-like body ( 12 ) is designed so that it offers hardly any resistance to an external, deforming force, but returns to its original shape in the absence of external forces. The at least partly tube-like body ( 12 ) has two free longitudinal ends ( 14, 16 ) which can be detachably interconnected or are interconnected, resulting in a tubular ring.
1 . A marker body for marking breast tissue, the marker body comprising:
an at least partially tubular body made from a soft elastic material; and multiple radiopaque marker elements, the multiple radiopaque marker elements being carried by the at least partially tubular body,
wherein the at least partially tubular body is configured to provide minimal resistance to an external, deforming force and return to an original shape of the at least partially tubular body in the absence of the external, deforming force,
wherein the at least partially tubular body has two free longitudinal ends which are configured to be connected to each other to form an exterior portion of the marker body, the exterior portion defining an outermost diameter of the marker body and encompassing an interior space, and
wherein the multiple radiopaque marker elements are configured as metal cylinders having a length and a diameter of less than 5 mm and are either inserted into a lumen of the at least partially tubular body or are pressed onto the at least partially tubular body from outside.
2 . The marker body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, when the outermost diameter of the marker body is 3 cm, the at least partially tubular body is configured to resist an external force with an elastic force of less than 1 N on a 1 mm compression path.
3 . The marker body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one of the two free longitudinal ends of the at least partially tubular body is configured to be plugged into the other of the two free longitudinal ends of the at least partially tubular body.
4 . The marker body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the free longitudinal ends of the at least partially tubular body has a lumen which is configured to receive another free longitudinal end of the at least partially tubular body in order to detachably connect the two free longitudinal ends of the at least partially tubular body to each other.
5 . The marker body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one of the two free longitudinal ends of the at least partially tubular body is at least slightly enlarged compared to the other of the two free longitudinal ends of the at least partially tubular body and is configured receive and clamp onto the other of the two free longitudinal ends via an elastic restoring force.
6 . The marker body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least partially tubular body has a continuous lumen, or two or more lumens that, when taken together, extend over more than half of a total length of the at least partially tubular body.
7 . The marker body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, in an initial straight state of the at least partially tubular body, the two free longitudinal ends are in a relaxed state, the at least partially tubular body extending only between the two free longitudinal ends along a singular longitudinal axis, and wherein, in a secondary state of the at least partially tubular body, the two free longitudinal ends are connected to each other such that the marker body comprises an elastic ring having a circular shape.
8 . The marker body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least partially tubular body is composed of a soft bioresorbable polymer.
9 . The marker body as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the soft bioresorbable polymer is configured such that it is stable for at least 6 months in tissue and is then resorbed.
10 . The marker body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the radiopaque marker elements are arranged at a uniform distance from one another on the at least partially tubular body.
11 . The marker body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a total length of the at least partially tubular body is between 7.5 cm and 30 cm.
12 . The marker body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the two free longitudinal ends of the at least partially tubular body are configured to be connected by inserting one of the two free longitudinal ends into the other of the two free longitudinal ends.
13 . The marker body as claimed claim 1 , wherein the two free longitudinal ends of the at least partially tubular body have the same diameter and are configured to be plugged together via a connecting element.
14 . The marker body as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the connecting element is composed of a bioresorbable plastic that is harder than a material from which the at least partially tubular body is formed.
15 . The marker body as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the connecting element is a metal connecting pin that serves as one of the radiopaque marker elements.
16 . The marker body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least partially tubular body has eyelets or loops such that the marker body may be stitched into an area from which a tumor has been removed to prevent migration of the marker body.
17 . The marker body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the marker body is composed of multiple at least partially tubular bodies that are connected to each other at their respective longitudinal free ends.
18 . The marker body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least partially tubular body has predetermined break points at which the at least partially tubular body can be manually shortened without using a tool.
19 . The marker body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least partially tubular body has a loop at each of the two free longitudinal ends through which the at least partially tubular body may be guided to form the exterior portion of the marker body that is adjustable in diameter.
20 . The marker body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the marker body is configured to mark an area from which a tumor has been removed for radiotherapy.
21 . The marker body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the two free longitudinal ends are configured to be directly connected to each other in an end-to-end configuration.
22 . The marker body as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the at least partially tubular body is composed of polylactic acid (PLA), poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA), polyglycolic acid, polycaprolactone, poly-p-dioxanone, ε-caprolactone, or Evonik Resomer.
23 . The marker body as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the multiple radiopaque marker elements are arranged at a distance of between 1 cm and 3 cm from each other.
24 . The marker body as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, when the two free longitudinal ends are detachably connected to each other, a connection between the two free longitudinal ends is configured to be detached through application of an external force of greater than 2 N.
25 . A marker body for marking breast tissue, the marker body comprising:
an at least partially tubular body made from a soft elastic material; and multiple radiopaque marker elements, the multiple radiopaque marker elements being carried by the at least partially tubular body,
wherein the at least partially tubular body is configured to provide minimal resistance to an external, deforming force and return to an original shape of the at least partially tubular body in the absence of the external, deforming force, and
wherein the at least partially tubular body has two free longitudinal ends which are configured to be connected to each other to form an exterior portion of the marker body, the exterior portion defining an outermost diameter of the marker body and encompassing an interior space, and
wherein each of the two free longitudinal ends of the at least partially tubular body has a loop through which the at least partially tubular body may be guided to form the exterior portion of the marker body that is adjustable in diameter.