in accordance with an embodiment of the invention , a substantially axially , semi - rigid and longitudinally flexible elongated member made of material , which is bio - absorbable in living tissue , is provided for insertion in tumors . a plurality of radioactive seeds are encapsulated and positioned in a predetermined array in the member in the desired spaced relationships . the seeds can be of various types having low energy and low half - life such as iodine seeds , known as i - 125 seeds , consisting of a welded titanium capsule containing iodine 125 absorbed on a silver rod , or palladium 103 seeds . examples of radioactive seeds used to manufacture the therapeutic element appear in table 1 below . additionally , seeds can be manufactured using iridium 192 , cesium 131 , gold 198 , yttrium 90 and phosphorus 32 . further radioactive isotopes used to manufacture seeds are not limited to these examples , but can include other sources of different types of radiation . in addition , it is to be understood that other types of seeds can be used . in particular , seeds such as those described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 248 , 057 , which patent is incorporated herein by reference and which is entitled aabsorbable brachytherapy and chemotherapy delivery devices and methods ,@ can be used with the present invention . these seeds include radiation delivery devices , drug delivery devices , and combinations of radiation and drug delivery devices in the form of beads , seeds , particles , rods , gels , and the like . these particular seeds are absorbable wherein the radiation element or drug delivery element is contained within , for example , absorbable polymers such as those listed below or in the above - referenced patent . in such seeds , the bio - absorbable structure can have a predefined persistence which is the same as or substantially longer than a half life of the radioactive element contained in the bio - absorbable structure . these above bio - absorbable seeds can be used in the same manner as the seeds described herein with respect to the invention . the substantially axially , semi - rigid , and longitudinally flexible elongated member may be made of any of the natural and / or synthetic bio - compatible and bio - absorbable materials . natural and synthetic polymers and copolymers can be used . examples of synthetic bio - absorbable polymer materials are the polymers and copolymers of glycolide and lactide , polydioxanone and the like . such polymeric materials are more fully described in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 565 , 869 , 3 , 636 , 956 , 4 , 052 , 988 and european patent application no . 30822 , all of which are incorporated herein by reference . specific examples of bio - absorbable polymeric materials that can be used to produce the substantially axially stiff and longitudinally flexible elongated member of an embodiment of the present invention are polymers made by ethicon , inc ., somerville , n . j ., under the trademarks “ monocryl ” and “ maxon ,” which material is incorporated herein by reference . table 2 below provides examples of polymers ( and manufacturers ) suitable for use in producing embodiments the therapeutic member of the invention . a further discussion of such biodegradable polymers can be found in an article by john c . middleton and arthur j . tipton entitled “ synthetic biodegradable polymers as medical devices ,@ published march 1998 in medical plastics and bio - materials , which article is incorporated herein by reference . the final hardness of the polymer of elongate member should preferably be in a range from 20 to 80 durometers , and , more preferably , in the range of 20 - 40 durometers . the bio - absorbable material should preferably be absorbed in living tissue in a period of time of from about 70 to about 120 days , but can be manufactured to be absorbed anywhere in a range from 1 week to 1 year , depending on the therapeutic plan for each specific patient . preferably , the bio - absorbable material is selected to absorb about when the half - life of the radioactive seeds is reached . the member or strand is fashioned with a manufacturing method known as insert or compression molding . the radioactive seeds are placed into a fixture that spaces the seeds at the appropriate intervals in a cavity that is shaped to the desired final dimensions of the elongated member . all the spacings can be of different lengths , if the preoperative therapeutic plan so specifies . the synthetic polymer is introduced into the mold at a temperature that is above the melt point of the polymer . the polymer flows around the seeds within the cavity , surrounds the seeds and fills in the spaces between the seeds . after the mold has cooled , it is disassembled , and the finished elongated member is removed . because the polymer flows at temperatures significantly greater than 250 □ f , the therapeutic element can easily be steam sterilized before implantation . as specified above , the elongated member encapsulating radioactive seeds may be fashioned using compression molding techniques . compression molding forms the molded piece in a two part mold where the polymer material is placed within the cavities of the mold in a liquid state . the seeds are placed in position within the cavities filled with the polymer and the mold is closed and compressed , then cooled to form a piece that conforms to the shape of the closed cavity . the manufacturing process also can make the member echogenic . in the case of the molding of the elongated member , air can be entrapped in the polymer material . during the cooling stage of the molding process , the mold is placed in a vacuum chamber and the air in the chamber is evacuated . this causes the entrapped air in the mold to come out of solution from the polymer , and as the mold cools , this air is entrapped within the cooling polymer in the form of minute bubbles suspended in the plastic . air is a strong reflector of ultrasound energy , since the inherent impedance of air is many times greater than body tissue . when the elongated member is introduced into the body and imaged with ultrasound , the elongated member is clearly visible in the resulting image , and is , thus , echogenic . the resulting elongated member is now a single solid monofilament of the polymer with the seeds spaced within the monofilament and encapsulated at the appropriate intervals . the member is generally very axially flexible such that it can be bent back upon itself in a circle without kinking . however , the member has sufficient column strength along its longitudinal axis so that the member can be urged out of a hollow needle without the member folding upon itself . again , the intervals can be selected to be any distance or combination of distances that are optimal for the treatment plan of the patient . in fig1 , the therapeutic elongated element or member or matrix or strand 10 is displayed having the semi - rigid , radially flexible polymer 12 and the radioactive seeds 14 . as can be seen in fig1 , the polymer fills the spacing segments 16 in a contiguous manner to fashion the total elongate member . fig3 shows a side view of the brachytherapy device 20 . the needle 22 is shown partially broken away and has a sheath component 24 , and is loaded with the therapeutic element or member 10 . the beveled end 26 of the needle 22 is plugged with a bio - compatible substance 28 . the plug prevents fluids and tissue from entering the needle and coming in contact with the member 10 prior to the placement of the member or strand 10 adjacent the tumor . the plug 28 can be made out of a bone wax or can be made of one of the bio - absorbable polymers or copolymers listed herein . further , the plug can be the end of the member or strand 10 that is heated and reflowed after the strand or member is inserted into the needle . a stylet or stylus 30 is inserted into the needle until it meets the therapeutic element or member 10 . then , the needle 22 is inserted into the site and the therapeutic member 10 is gradually extruded from the needle via the static force of the stationary stylus 30 , as the needle 22 is pulled back . based on the above , it is evident that the present invention provides for an embodiment having an elongated member which is comprised of a biodegradable polymer which encapsulates a plurality of spaced radioactive therapeutic seeds . the seeds can be spaced in custom manner so that each member or strand is designed for the particular patient . that is to say that the spacing between each seed pair in a strand or member can be different for each seed pair . further , each individual strand can have an entirely different seed spacing pattern than the next strand or member . characteristically , or typically , for a surgical procedure , up to twenty - five of such strands or members are used to encircle the organ or tumor that is affected . further , such an arrangement provides for a strand or member that is stiff along its longitudinal axis . that is to say that the strand or member has column strength or stiffness while the strand or member is flexible in the direction which is radial or substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis . accordingly the strand or member in a preferred embodiment is able to bend back upon and touch itself , when formed in a characteristic length . in other embodiments , the strand or member can be made with the incorporation of drugs and / or hormones and / or other therapeutics which are embedded in or formed in the polymer and / or seeds . thus , the embodiment of the invention can deliver not only radioactive seeds , but such therapeutic drugs , hormones and other therapeutic devices . in addition , the strand or member can deliver heated seeds such as provided by ati medical . these seeds can be preferably heated to from about six ( 6 ) degrees centigrade to about seventy ( 70 ) degrees centigrade prior to being inserted into a patient in a preferred embodiment . ati medical is located at ( www . atimedical . com ), and reference to such heated seeds is incorporated herein by reference . it should be understood that other seed types can be used with the present invention . thus , for example , in addition to the above encapsulated seeds , seeds which are made of radioactive or coiled wires can be embedded in the polymer and be within the spirit and scope of the invention . these seeds can be individual seeds which are spaced within a polymer or a continuous seed which extends the length of the strand or member . further to the invention , as discussed above , it should be understood that the strand or member can be made echogenic by the incorporation of , for example , air bubbles 32 in the polymer spaces between the seeds , as can be seen in fig1 and 3 . these air bubbles or pockets can be formed in the polymer in ways identified above and other ways known to one of skill in the art . according to the above , the advantages of the improved delivery system submitted of the present invention are : 1 . the substantially axially stiff and longitudinally flexible elongated member allows controlled placement of the plurality of radioactive seeds that are encapsulated and positioned in a predetermined array in the member without migration of the individual radioactive seeds during the time the seeds are treating the tumor . 2 . the fixed linear positioning of the seeds minimizes “ hot ” and “ cold ” radiation spots due to undesirable movement of the seeds . 3 . the normal tissue is spaced away from the seed surface by the thickness of the body of polymer , to decrease necrosis from a high local dose . 4 . the axial stiffness of the elongated member allows the elongated member to be urged out of the needle as the needle is withdrawn , without the member jamming in the needle , by collapsing or expanding as the needle is withdrawn from the tumor site . 5 . the longitudinal flexibility of the elongated member allows locational accuracy to be maintained as the gland shrinks to pre - procedural size , as the swelling that occurs during tissue disruption and needle manipulation recedes . 6 . increased speed of implant resulting in reduced surgical time and health care provider radiation exposure . method of delivering customized strands and / or members per a therapeutic prescription as is known in the industry , there is software which can be used to provide brachytherapy treatment planning guides which are customized for each individual patient . such software is provided by rossmed which is located at ross medical , 7100 columbia gateway drive , suite 160 , columbia , md . 21046 . this particular software , which is incorporated herein by reference , is known as the strata suite , which software helps physicians to develop and visualize low dose rate brachytherapy treatment plans for treating malignant tumors in human tissue . the treatments entail the use of radioactive seed sources which are implanted adjacent to the malignant tissue . the strata software uses imaging to create a three - dimensional reconstruction of the patient &# 39 ; s anatomy . the software is able to plan the placement of the seeds within the target . the radiation dose that is delivered to the target can be computerized and visualized using the software . the software can then specify an optimal number of strands or members along with optimal seed dosages and spaces between seeds . at times , the loading plans so specified cannot be optimized by the physician in preparing the seed and spacer loads for the needles , as the spacers come in only predefined lengths . accordingly , with the present invention , the software can be used to prepare a prescription which optimizes the number of members or strands , and placement and spacing of seeds for each of the strands or members . this optimization plan can then be sent to a manufacturing site . by using the techniques of an embodiment of the present invention , an optimized strand or member can be created with the specified number of seeds and the specified distances between each seed pair . once this prescription is filled at the manufacturing site , the custom strand or member can be sent back to the physician for treatment of the patient . with such an arrangement , radiation patterns can be optimally established for the treatment of each patient . further , the preparation time for the physician is greatly diminished as the physician does not have to hand assemble and hand load the seeds and spacers into the needle . further , even if the physician were to use a prescription provided by the above software , with prior manufacturing techniques , the physician would only receive from the manufacturing facility a strand or member which has seeds spaced at predefined intervals , which are the lengths or the pre - manufactured spacers . accordingly , optimal treatment as provided by the custom strands or members manufactured according to the present invention could not be realized . additional aspects , objects and advantages of the invention can be obtained through a review of the appendant claims and figures . it is to be understood that other embodiments can be fabricated and come within the spirit and scope of the claims and the invention .
a treatment strand for insertion into a patient using a needle . the strand includes an elongated member having first and second longitudinal ends , and a plurality of treatments seeds spaced apart from one another within the elongated member between the longitudinal ends . a needle plug is located at one of the longitudinal ends of the elongated member and integrally formed with the elongated member . the integrally formed needle plug is configured to prevent at least one of fluid and tissue from entering a needle when the elongated member is loaded into a needle and the needle is initially inserted into a patient .