Varian EDGE Radiosurgery System With Advanced Motion Correction Cleared in U.S.

Varian Medical Systems won FDA approval for its new EDGE radiosurgery system that was unveiled only four months ago. The stereotactic system uses real time tumor and motion tracking to precisely attack tumors and lesions throughout the body, including lungs and and brain.

Varian is still awaiting FDA clearance for the Calypso anchored Beacon transponders that are implanted within the lungs and used along with the EDGE system to precisely attack lung tumors.

Some features of the new system from its product page:

• The PerfectPitch™ couch:   An integrated six degrees of freedom (6DoF) treatment couch that provides the accuracy, precision, and flexibility needed to position patients optimally, adjust their position to correct for any misalignments, and support them comfortably during treatment.  The PerfectPitch couch has been designed for the accuracy and functionality required to deliver radiosurgery treatments in the brain and in the rest of the body.

• The Advanced Motion & Image-Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT) package:  An advanced motion management package that offers clinicians many options for using real-time imaging during radiotherapy treatments.  It also enables expanded use of fluoroscopy and 4-D cone-beam CT—imaging techniques that show motion over time—to better compensate for tumor motion during treatment.

• Intracranial radiosurgery package: An integrated set of technologies for planning and delivering stereotactic radiosurgery treatments for tumors or functional abnormalities in the brain.  The intracranial radiosurgery package supports the accurate delivery of radiation using multiple beam shaping options, including Varian’s high-definition multileaf collimator and radiosurgery conical collimators, and is compatible with both frame-based and frameless patient immobilization approaches.

• Calypso system:  Several enhancements have been incorporated into the Calypso system for real time tracking.  The system utilizes transponders, or position signaling devices, that are implanted in or around a tumor, or placed on the surface of the body and monitored to track motion during treatment.  New enhancements increase the rate of transponder signal processing in order to track faster types of motion, such as respiratory motion, in real time.  The system is also compatible with the couch rotations that are often used to optimize targeting during treatments in the lung.  The new system also includes updated usability features designed to streamline treatments and enhance the user experience.

Flashback: Varian’s New EDGE Radiotherapy Radiosurgery Suite

Press release: Varian Medical Systems Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for the Edge™ Radiosurgery Suite for Non-Invasive Surgical Procedures