Method for monitoring growth disorder therapy

Details Method for monitoring growth disorder therapy Method for monitoring growth disorder therapy

1999-12-21

2001-12-25

Lateef, Marvin M. (Department: 3737)

Surgery

Diagnostic testing

Detecting nuclear, electromagnetic, or ultrasonic radiation

C128S898000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06334066

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a method for monitoring therapy rendered to treat growth disorders, such as hormone therapy.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In children and young persons, growth disorders can occur due to various defects, for example, due to a pituitary tumor. Such disorders can result in disproportionately short or tall physical height, typically less than 150 cm or greater than 200 cm. Due to the lasting consequences of such anomalous height in adulthood, hormone therapies with which growth can be influenced in juveniles or teens have been employed for some time. Such therapy is complicated and expensive (at least $50,000 to $60,000 per patient). In the context of such therapy, for diagnosis and/or quantitative determination of the growth that still presumably remains, the osteo age of the patients is conventionally determined by frequently repeated x-raying of the wrist bones over the course of years, and analysis of the wrist bones, as seen in the x-ray images, on the basis of an atlas. X-ray examinations of children, however, are generally problematical because the cells have four times the radiation sensitivity of adults (in view of the potential for cancer) and there is no lower threshold for the danger of x-rays.
Heretofore, there had been no methods for avoiding the stress produced by ionizing radiation in the context of monitoring hormone therapy for treating growth disorders.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for monitoring growth disorder therapy wherein repeated x-raying of the therapy subject is minimized, or is entirely foregone.
The above object is achieved in accordance with the principles of the present invention in a method for monitoring growth disorder therapy wherein repeated images of the skeleton of the hand of a therapy subject are produced in a magnetic resonance (MR) tomography apparatus. The osteo age of the patient is then identified from the magnetic resonance images, and is placed in relationship with the chronological age on the basis of known maturation stages, by comparing the size and the number of visible wrist bones in the images, as well as the width of the growth joints (epiphysis joints). A determination as to whether therapy is required and, if so, a calculation of the therapeutic hormone dose, are then undertaken. After a suitable time, such as the passage of approximately six months, another MR image is obtained and the analysis and evaluation are repeated.
Magnetic resonance scanners have been known for some time, however, conventionally the osteo age of a subject has not been determined on the basis of images obtained with such MR scanners, because the examination conducted in such an MR scanner is expensive, due to the high apparatus price, and the examination has heretofore been considered overly complicated, due to the need for accurate positioning, and the necessary care, particularly for young patients, in the confined examination tube (chamber) of a conventional MR scanner. Moreover, such examinations typically require measuring times of several minutes using conventional measuring sequences.
These disadvantages do not exist in the inventive method, even though MR scanning is employed, because the aforementioned MR images of the wrist bone are acquired under conditions that are completely different from conventional MR imaging and are an integral part of the overall therapeutic procedure.
The MR images which are acquired in accordance with the invention are obtained in a type of MR scanner known as an open scanner. This type of MR scanner has a lateral axis for the patient, thereby making patient fear and claustrophobic concerns much lower, and greatly facilitating positioning within the MR scanner. Such open MR scanners, for example, have magnetic pole pieces disposed parallel to each other connected by a C-shaped yoke or connecting element and are commercially available from a number of sources.


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patent: 5320102 (1994-06-01), Paul et al.
patent: 5813984 (1998-09-01), Haaga et al.

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