Leksell Vantage Stereotactic System, adapted for Leksell Gamma Knife Icon and Perfexion, to boost patient comfort and clinical performance

Patient immobilization for frame-based Gamma Knife® radiosurgery planning and treatment delivery is primed to take a leap forward with the introduction of Leksell Vantage™ for Gamma Knife® Radiosurgery.* The simple, patient-friendly design and non-metallic composition of the Vantage frame – and its reliance on the proven Leksell coordinate system and Gamma Knife isocentric treatment principle – promise not only to significantly increase patient comfort, but also to enhance target visualization and positioning as well as treatment accuracy. Elekta recently received CE marking for Leksell Vantage for Gamma Knife Perfexion™ and Icon™ systems.

Designed as an alternative to the traditional Leksell Coordinate Frame G (i.e., G frame), Leksell Vantage reduces the number of parts from the G frame’s approximately 60 to about 10 components. And, unlike the G frame’s metal composition, Vantage is made of non-metallic glass fiber reinforced epoxy. The effect that both of these features should have on Gamma Knife radiosurgery planning and workflow is profound.

“The single-piece architecture of Leksell Vantage not only makes frame assembly much simpler, but it also allows ‘open face,’ visibility, keeping the patient’s airways unobstructed and their facial expressions clearly observable throughout treatment,” says Malin Svensson, Director of Product Management, Neurosurgery. “In addition, the non-metallic materials of the frame itself, and associated CT and MR imaging accessories, minimize issues with radiofrequency [RF] heating in MRI planning scans and image artifacts in both MR and CT planning studies. In MR planning, specifically, this translates into the potential for superior structural information in stereotactic treatment planning images.

“Because MR images are not subject to distortions created by metallic components, clinicians can exploit rapid MR pulse sequences that utilize advanced, multichannel neuro imaging coils,” she adds. “The result is not only faster image acquisition – as much as 50 percent faster for T1-weighted stereotactic images – but also higher signal-to-noise ratio and fewer artifacts around fixation pins, resulting in better image quality in scans of brain structures and vasculature.”

In stereotactic CT imaging, the Vantage head frame and polymer fixation pins – the latter having only minute aluminum tips – also help reduce artifacts.

The Vantage frame is fully integrated with Leksell GammaPlan® with the frame design geometry fixed and automatically implemented in the treatment planning system, which provides valuable enhancements to the workflow.

A more streamlined workflow

In addition to easy frame assembly and disassembly, Leksell Vantage for Gamma Knife Radiosurgery offers several additional time- and effort-saving benefits:

• Simple, rapid attachment to patient’s head and FirmFix™ Ruler to select correct pin length
• No need for frame-cap-fits or skull scaling instrument measurement
• Pre-sterilized fixation pins and insert are provided – no head frame sterilization needed
• No Leksell GammaPlan entry of pin and fixation post configuration of protrusion required
• Fast and confident docking of Vantage to Icon or Perfexion
• Integrated infrared reference markers permits High Definition Motion Management during treatment delivery

Clinicians at Hôpital La Timone (Marseille, France) used Leksell Vantage recently to treat the first patients, one with a vestibular schwannoma and two with meningiomas.

“Vantage for Leksell Gamma Knife clearly is a step forward in image quality and reduced MRI acquisition time,” says Professor Jean Regis, Director Stereotactic, Functional Neurosurgery and Radiosurgery at the hospital. “Vantage introduces fewer artifacts and provides less distortion, which means we can use faster MRI pulse sequences. Also, with better quality images, we can expect improvements in targeting accuracy.”

The center’s Gamma Knife unit expects to acquire five additional Leksell Vantage frames in the next few weeks.

“Leksell Vantage for Gamma Knife Radiosurgery will provide major improvements in image quality and acquisition times, while also enhancing patient comfort,” says Verena Schiller, President Neuro Solutions at Elekta. “Regulatory approval for this solution, together with our recent launch of Leksell Gamma Knife® Lightning treatment planning optimizer, is making it possible to treat patients faster, in turn making Gamma Knife radiosurgery accessible to greater numbers of patients.”

*Leksell Vantage for Gamma Knife Radiosurgery has CE mark. Not available in all markets.