Henry B Spitz

US Patent:

6362471, Mar 26, 2002

Filed:

May 14, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/312242

Inventors:

Henry B. Spitz - Cincinnati OH
Mark Jenkins - Franklin OH
Robert Bornschein - Park Hills KY
Jeffrey Lodwick - Franklin OH

Assignee:

University of Cincinnati - Cincinnati OH

International Classification:

A61B 600

US Classification:

2502521, 378207

Abstract:

The hazards of exposure to heavy metal contamination, examples of which arsenic, beryllium, lead, cadmium, chromium, nickel, zinc, mercury and barium, and the radioactive substances which deposit in human bone, examples of which are uranium, plutonium, and americium, are very serious and are well known to scientific and medical professionals. Since lead is a prevalent metal contaminant which deposits in human bone, and its effects are quite hazardous, especially to young children, the focus of this disclosure will be on methods of detecting lead exposure. While it is possible to detect the level of lead in the body through the use of a blood test, the relevancy of such tests is limited, since the risk to humans from lead exposure is related to the amount of lead deposited in the bones of the exposed person and not, necessarily, the amount in the blood. Moreover, drawing blood causes some discomfort on the part of the person being tested, which is especially difficult with small children, who are particularly at risk to lead exposure due to various environmental factors. Accordingly, an alternative method, the indirect measure of the level of cumulative lead exposure in the bones of a person by sue of x-ray fluorescence, is often employed.

US Patent:

20230036916, Feb 2, 2023

Filed:

Jul 13, 2022

Appl. No.:

17/864361

Inventors:

- Cincinnati OH, US
Henry Spitz - Cincinnati OH, US
Peter Sandwall - Cincinnati OH, US

International Classification:

A61B 6/00

Abstract:

A calibration phantom for radiometric characterization and/or radiotherapy dose calculation of a subject is provided, which includes an ellipsoid base having a primary volume defining a plurality of cylindrical voids, each of said cylindrical voids configured to receive a cylindrical insert having a diameter, wherein the ellipsoid base, the primary volume, and each of said inserts are formed from a tissue substitution material independently selected to approximate a radiological property of an anatomical feature of the subject to which the ellipsoid base, the primary volume, and each of said inserts corresponds, wherein the radiological property of the tissue substitution material, the diameter of each of said inserts, and a location of each of said inserts within the ellipsoid base are selected to mimic beam hardening upon exposure of the calibration phantom to a radiation beam. Optionally, one or more peripheral rings are disposed concentrically about the ellipsoid base. Methods of mitigating off-target radiation exposure improving certainty of a radiotherapeutic dose delivered to a human subject using the calibration phantom are also provided.