Irradiation loading apparatus

Claim 1

An irradiation loading apparatus, comprising: a main shielding body, said body having a housing, a first housing end plate and a second housing stop end plate on either end of said housing, and a cylindrical central passageway extending between said first and second housing end plates wherein said second housing stop end plate includes a passage extending therethrough, an outer portion of said second housing end plate passage having a diameter smaller than a diameter of the cylindrical central passageway and an inner portion having the diameter equal to the diameter of the cylindrical central passageway, and said first housing end plate includes a passage extending therethrough, an outer portion of said first housing end plate passage having a diameter larger than the diameter of the cylindrical central passageway and having threads to accept a lock ring screw coupling structure, and an inner portion having a diameter equal to the diameter of the cylindrical central passageway; an interchangeable cartridge removably placed within the cylindrical central passageway between the two housing nd plates of the main shielding body comprising: first and second cartridge end plates, an outer portion of said first cartridge end plate having a tapered patient catheter-receiving first passage therethrough, and an inner portion of said first cartridge end plate having a continuous first passage with a diameter equal to the smaller end of the tapered portion therethrough, and said second cartridge end plate having a second passage with a diameter equal to the smaller end of the tapered first passage of the first cartridge end plate throughout, an outer cylindrical cartridge wall extending between the first and second cartridge end plates, and a third passage formed by tubing extending between the first and second cartridge end plates, linking the first and second passages; a cartridge lock-ring having threads for engaging the interchangeable cartridge securely in the passage between the first and second housing end plates of the main shielding body; and means for carrying a radiation source being slidably and removably received in said third receiving passage such that a first portion of the carrying means having the radiation source thereon can be advanced from a storage position in the third receiving passage through the inner portion of the first receiving passage of the first cartridge end plate and into a patient catheter received in the outer portion of the first receiving passage of the first cartridge end plate, and wherein said first portion of said carrying means having said radiation source thereon is located in the third receiving passage when said irradiation loading apparatus is in a storage position, wherein a portion of the carrying means extends out of said second receiving passage beyond said second cartridge end plate.