X-ray and radiation therapy developer Varian Medical Systems has received Food and Drug Administration 510(k) marketing clearance for the 7.1 iteration of VariSeed, its treatment-planning software for permanent seed implant brachytherapy. The 7.1 version incorporates an optional longitudinal volume acquisition module that the Palo Alto, CA-based firm has named Twister.
The module enables physicians to use ultrasound images of the prostate that have been taken without repositioning the probe -- a process that can disturb or distort the prostate and yield inaccurate images. Physicians using the function position and rotate the ultrasound probe once to acquire an image of the full volume of the prostate in the longitudinal view, Varian said.
In addition, VariSeed 7.1 also features a needle editor that enables the visualization of planned seed placements within the prostate volume. A physician is then able to interactively move, add, or delete seed placements and observe how the dose distribution will be affected, before using needles to place the seeds within a patient’s prostate.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writersJune 5, 2003
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