Explorer 4D™ Treatment Planning System

The Explorer-4D™ Treatment Planning System is a sophisticated software package that allows for visualization of patient anatomy and disease status in a rendered three-dimensional display. The Explorer-4D system facilitates optimal treatment planning by the surgeon and is easier to use than previously existing industry systems.

From the CT/MRI images acquired by the system, the physician outlines the lesion to be treated. The treatment planning system then establishes the coordinates of the lesion. The lesions are generally irregularly shaped, and may be greater than the treatment spot sizes available. To cover the entire lesion with a high dose, multiple focal spots of different sizes may be used.

The treatment spot positions and sizes can be chosen automatically by the treatment planning system, based on dose coverage criteria defined by the user, or chosen manually by the user. Treatment parameters are then generated and transferred to the control system of the RGS ORBITER.

The Treatment Planning System is an interactive software package that runs on a Power Mac® G5 workstation. Its 3-D rendering capability, enhanced with full 64-bit processing power, enables the user to define treatment quickly and accurately. This UNIX™-based Mac OS X system offers unprecedented reliability and security. The workstation adapts easily to existing radiology networks. With minimal training, any experienced neurosurgeon, medical physicist or radiation oncologist can easily operate the system.