Alumina ceramic as a biomaterial for use in afterloading radiation catheters for hyperthermia

Journal Article · Tue Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989 · Neurosurgery; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1227/00006123-198908000-00009· OSTI ID:5468521

Ferraro, F T; Salcman, M; Broadwell, R D; Sewchand, W; Neuberth, G ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Maryland Medical System, Baltimore (USA)

A major technical challenge to the use of interstitial hyperthermia in malignant brain tumors is the production of a well-defined, uniform hyperthermal field. In theory, A 915-MHz microwave antenna should allow fewer antennas to be used and cause less mechanical brain damage; however, standard radiation afterloading catheters require antennas to be 12 cm long; this is clearly impractical for intracranial use. Since alumina ceramic (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}) catheters permit short microwave antennas (3-5 cm in length) to function properly in neural tissue, it is important to test the biocompatibility of alumina for use in combined interstitial microwave hyperthermia and brachytherapy. A 5-mm length of alumina catheter was implanted into the brains of 15 white rats. The animals were killed at 3, 7, 14, 28, and 56 days. Histological examination revealed only minor mechanical damage and no encapsulation until 1 month; even then, the glial wall was only a few cell layers thick. Five animals received implants and were killed at similar intervals for x-ray microanalysis with the scanning electron microscope. No migration of aluminum into the brain was detected when compared with two control animals that did not receive implants and an alumina blank. Although we measured 50% attenuation of the radiation from iridium-192 sources in alumina catheters as compared with conventional ones, alumina catheters can still be used for interstitial radiation by increasing either the activity of the seeds or the duration of treatment.

• OSTI ID: 5468521
• Journal Information: Neurosurgery; (USA), Journal Name: Neurosurgery; (USA) Vol. 25:2; ISSN 0148-396X; ISSN NRSRD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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560400 -- Other Environmental Pollutant Effects
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AFTERLOADING
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM OXIDES
ANIMALS
ATTENUATION
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-PLUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BODY
BODY TEMPERATURE
BRAIN
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DISEASES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
ELECTRON MICROPROBE ANALYSIS
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
HEAVY NUCLEI
HYPERTHERMIA
IMPLANTS
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
IRIDIUM 192
IRIDIUM ISOTOPES
ISOMERIC TRANSITION
ISOTOPES
MAMMALS
MEDICINE
MICROANALYSIS
MICROSCOPY
MICROWAVE RADIATION
NEOPLASMS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
NUCLEI
ORGANS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIATION SOURCE IMPLANTS
RADIATION SOURCES
RADIATIONS
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIOLOGY
RADIOTHERAPY
RATS
RODENTS
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
THERAPY
VERTEBRATES