by
Brendon Nafziger, DOTmed News Associate Editor | January 11, 2012
Eclipse treatment planning software (Credit: Varian)
Varian Medical Systems Inc. is releasing a new tool it said can help speed up radiation therapy treatment planning.
On Tuesday, the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company said it received Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance for software that helps doctors contour images in preparation for external beam or brachytherapy treatments.
The tool, which works with the company's Eclipse treatment planning software, uses what Varian calls Smart Segmentation Knowledge Based Contouring.
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In this, the software analyzes the patient's scanned anatomical images and outlines organs and important structures. Then it lets doctors match the images with pre-contoured images of the anatomy pulled from a database, so providers can more easily create the appropriate contours.
"It's similar to building a house from scratch or remodeling," Jefferson Amacker, director of clinical solutions with Varian, explained in a statement. "Remodeling is generally faster because you have something to work from."
The Knowledge Based Contouring tool's anatomy atlas covers most commonly treated sites, including the prostate, breast, lung, brain, head and neck and gynecological, Varian said.
