Devices Oncology

 News Release - December 20, 2006

Albert Einstein Jewish Hospital Becomes First Facility in South America to Offer Image-Guided Radiation Therapy

The BrainLAB ExacTrac X-Ray 6D IGRT System Enables Physicians to Pinpoint Tumors With Millimeter Accuracy

SAO PAULO, Brazil, Dec. 20 (HSMN NewsFeed) -- Albert Einstein Jewish Hospital, one of the leaders in innovative healthcare in Latin America, today announced the implementation of the BrainLAB ExacTrac® X-Ray 6D Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) system, making it the first facility in South America to offer image guided radiation therapy to patients. The new system enables doctors to locate tumors within the body with greater accuracy and treat a wider variety of indications. Physicians at Albert Einstein now have access to this advanced tumor treatment technology, providing new hope to patients whose conditions have previously been considered inoperable.

As part of its commitment to improve the standard of care for its patients and to provide high quality cancer treatment, Albert Einstein Jewish Hospital has selected the BrainLAB ExacTrac X-Ray 6D system for the treatment of cancer and non-malignant tumor patients. Due to the system's precision targeting technology, oncologists now have the ability to treat a wider range of indications including prostate, lung, liver and spine. The system's compatibility with other treatment technology allows physicians to integrate the ExacTrac X-Ray 6D with existing hospital equipment, like linear accelerators and treatment planning systems.

"We are proud to be the first hospital in South America to offer this modality of high precision radiation therapy to our patients. With the implementation of the BrainLAB ExacTrac X-Ray 6D, we're able to offer advanced treatment technology to our patients," said Dr. Eduardo Weltman, Radiation Oncologist at Albert Einstein Jewish Hospital, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Traditionally, small shifts in patient positioning or radiation beam alignment during treatment can result in damage to normal tissues surrounding the tumor. BrainLAB IGRT Technology uses high-resolution X-rays to pinpoint tumors seconds before treatment and automatically corrects any patient set-up errors as well as tracks patient movement throughout the procedure.

ExacTrac X-Ray 6D is clinically proven as a fast and easy to use IGRT system, bringing precision image guidance to all radiation treatments. Doctors can now deliver higher treatment doses within one millimeter of the tumor, significantly reducing the risk to neighboring healthy tissue and improving long term clinical results.

"The team at Albert Einstein is an excellent partner for BrainLAB to introduce IGRT Technology to the South American market with the ExacTrac X-Ray 6D system allowing for state-of-the-art cancer treatment," said Ralf Schira, Marketing Manager Oncology Solutions, BrainLAB. "The precision made possible with this technology will allow physicians to treat tumors more aggressively while reducing radiation exposure to healthy tissues resulting in improved patient outcomes."

About Albert Einstein Jewish Hospital

The Albert Einstein Jewish Hospital (AEIH) is one of the most advanced private healthcare institutions in Latin America. With nearly 5000 employees, physicians and partners, it was the first hospital outside of the United States to be certified by the Joint Commission International, the world's main health service certification entity.

The Albert Einstein Jewish Hospital cancer center, established in 1993, provides the most complete treatments available, with state-of-the-art technological resources, customized patient care and the same high quality standards and services as in the United States and Europe. The center's facilities are about 4.000 square meters and include advanced radiotherapy equipments, modern treatment units, and constant training and professional updating.

About BrainLAB

BrainLAB develops, manufactures and markets software-driven medical technology that enables procedures that are more precise, less invasive, and therefore less expensive than traditional treatments. Among the core products are image-guided systems that provide highly accurate real-time information used for navigation during surgical procedures. This utility has been further expanded to serve as a computer terminal for physicians to more effectively access and interpret diagnostic scans and other digital medical information for better informed decisions. BrainLAB solutions allow expansion from a single system to operating suites to digitally integrated hospitals covering all subspecialties from neurosurgery, orthopedics, ENT, CMF to spine & trauma and oncology. With more than 2,500 systems installed in over 65 countries, BrainLAB is a market leader in image-guided technology. The privately held BrainLAB group, founded in 1989, is headquartered in Munich, Germany and today employs around 900 people in 15 offices across Europe, Asia, Australia, North and South America.

For more information, visit BrainLAB at http://www.brainlab.com .

Source: BrainLAB

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