Patent ID: 7066872

Claim:
Apparatus for intraluminal treatment of a selected area of a human body comprising: (a) an elongated plastic tube of sufficiently small diameter and of sufficient flexibility for advancing through a tortuous lumen to a selected area, said tube including: (i) a proximal end portion for remaining outside the body and a distal end portion for positioning at the selected area in the body; and (ii) first and second parallel lumens extending substantially co-extensively through said tube between said proximal and distal end portions, said first lumen being located inside said second lumen and said first and second lumens being in fluid communication with one another at said distal end portion and being otherwise closed to the exterior at said distal end portion to form a closed fluid-tight path; (b) a loading body at the proximal end of said tube, said loading body including: (i) a treating element passageway including an inlet for communicating with a source of liquid and including an outlet communicating with said first lumen; (ii) at least one treating element slidably disposed in said treating element passageway, said at least one treating element comprising a hollow cylinder encapsulating a radioactive material; and (iii) a gate moveable between a first position blocking movement of said treating element between said treating element passageway and said first lumen and a second position allowing such movement; and (c) said first lumen having a diameter sufficiently large between said proximal and distal end portions to permit the slidable passage of said at least one treating element between said proximal and distal end portions, whereby said at least one treating element may be moved between said proximal and distal end portions of said first lumen under the force of liquid flowing through said first and second lumens.