Improvement of the Botstein-Zacharopolous radiation applicator.
The Botstein-Zacharopolous afterloading radiation source has been modified to facilitate its application to patients receiving intracavitary irradiation therapy. A new clamp assembly, in which each ovoid and the tandum can be separately controlled, has been designed and implemented. A study of 74 patients who alternately received the original or the modified applicator showed the time of the application procedure to be significantly less (p less than 0.001) with the modified device than it was with the original instrument. Fewer X rays were required for evaluating the placement of the modified instrument than the original applicator (p = .055).
D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010298:Parity; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*