Analysis of Seed Loss and Pulmonary Seed Migration in Patients Treated With Virtual Needle Guidance and Robotic Seed Delivery

Abstract

Our pulmonary seed migration and total seed loss rates are comparable to the ones reported in the literature. Virtual needle guidance and automated seed delivery system are in our hand as accurate as the manual technique.

A Phase 2 Randomized Pilot Study Comparing High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy and Low-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy as Monotherapy in Localized Prostate Cancer

“…High-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDRB) as a single modality is emerging as an alternative to LDRB with excellent outcomes as reported by retrospective and phase 2 studies 9, 10, 11, 12. Common problems associated with permanent seeds implant include discrepancy between planned and actual seed distribution, inability to correct seed position or to optimize the dose delivered once the seeds are in place, 10 seed migration, 13 and prostate volume changes during treatment, all of which are not relevant in HDRB. The main disadvantages of HDRB are monitoring and adjustment of catheters, inter- and intrafraction motion, and requirement for catheter and template fixation and locoregional anesthesia (spinal or epidural) if computed tomography (CT)-based planning is performed 10 .…”

The fixity of prostate seed implants: The impact of the strand surface on its ability to migrate inside oil and gel medium

“…In a recent report, at least one seed was lost in 31.5% of patients with a migration rate of 1.02%; 9.3% of patients had at least one seed located in the lung. The fraction of patients experiencing no seed loss decreased from 40% at 28 days to 20% at 180 days for I-125 and from 24% to 7% for Pd-103 over the same time interval [17]. Physicians at the Cookridge Hospital in the United Kingdom studied whether seed embolization to the lungs can be minimized with the use of stranded seeds alone for brachytherapy.…”