Healthcare Industry News: Gamma Knife
News Release - February 13, 2008
First Clinical Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy Treatment Completed With Elekta Synergy(R) S at General Hospital Vienna
ATLANTA, Feb. 13 (HSMN NewsFeed) -- On Thursday, January 31, General Hospital Vienna successfully completed its first Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT)* treatment. The hospital is one of the first in the world to carry out this innovative cancer treatment option.VMAT technology provides a simultaneous control of the linear accelerator gantry position and speed, the leaves and angle of the multileaf collimator and dose rate. This flexibility enables highly conformal cancer treatments, as well as optimal sparing of the healthy tissue around the target. In addition, VMAT significantly reduces patient treatment times, leading to greater patient comfort and stillness for a more efficient and precise treatment.
Dietmar Georg, Ph.D., head of the Division of Medical Radiation Physics at General Hospital Vienna (Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria) says the first patient was treated for glioblastoma, a serious brain tumor that was positioned near vital structures such as the brain stem and optical lenses and nerves. The treatment consisted of three non-coplanar VMAT arcs with collimator rotation. The entire treatment took just 10 minutes, including creation and evaluation of the patient's brain images and treatment positioning.
"This therapy is applied in very complex situations where the localization and form of the tumor requires tailored intensity modulated treatment," says Dr. Georg.
Elekta provides complete VMAT package
General Hospital Vienna used its existing Elekta Synergy® S system to perform the VMAT treatment, along with Elekta's next generation linear accelerator control software. Elekta's VMAT solution also includes ERGO++ treatment planning system for rotational therapy, and MOSAIQ(TM) image-enabled oncology Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system. This complete VMAT solution is now available in upgrades to existing Elekta accelerators.
General Hospital Vienna is the largest radiotherapy center in Austria, and treats approximately 3,000 radiotherapy patients per year. The capability to perform VMAT offers a tremendous advantage for the hospital and its patients, says Chief Medical Doctor Professor Richard Potter. "The new system will revolutionize tailored intensity modulated radiotherapy during the next decade. Very soon, not only head and neck lesions will be treated with VMAT, but also tumors in the lung, close to the cervical spine and in the pelvis."
"What I've seen so far is the possibility that we can, in the long term, treat more patients, because we have a more efficient workflow and much faster treatments," says Dr. Georg. "We are at the forefront of the leading radio- oncology hospitals in the world. VMAT will give us an enormous impetus both scientifically and in medical care."
*Elekta Volumetric Intensity Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) is pending regulatory approvals in certain markets, including 510(k) clearance in the US, and is not yet available for commercial sale in the US.
About Elekta
Elekta is an international medical technology group, providing oncologists, radiation therapists, neurosurgeons and many other medical specialists with state-of-the-art tools to fight serious disease.
Elekta provides advanced clinical solutions and comprehensive management and information systems, as well as services for improved cancer care and management of brain disorders.
Elekta's systems and solutions are used in over 4,500 hospitals around the world. Clinical and information management solutions include, among others, Leksell Gamma Knife® for non-invasive treatment of brain disorders, Elekta Axesse(TM) and Elekta Synergy® for stereotactic and image guided radiation therapy and radiosurgery, as well as the MOSAIQ(TM) suite of software for image-enabled EMR and efficient management of clinical and patient data.
With more than 2,000 employees globally, Elekta corporate headquarters are located in Stockholm, Sweden and the company is listed on the Nordic Exchange under the ticker EKTAb.
Source: Elekta
Issuer of this News Release is solely responsible for its
content.
Please address inquiries directly to the issuing company.
