Brainlab's ExacTrac® System Achieves Major Sales Milestone

MUNICH, January 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

500^th worldwide sale highlights healthcare providers continued focus on improving care with frameless radiosurgery

Today Brainlab announced the 500^th sale of its ExacTrac® patient positioning system for frameless radiosurgery. The scale of uptake highlights physicians continued focus on adopting clinically proven systems for high-precision cancer treatments and their ongoing investment in ensuring access to advanced radiation therapy for patients.

The ExacTrac® system, first developed almost a decade ago, has been proven consistent and reliable in supporting accurate frameless radiosurgery for patients with tumors of the brain, spine and beyond. The system has since been internationally recognized as offering high accuracy, flexibility and increased patient comfort during treatment.  

ExacTrac® works by combining with advanced radiosurgery treatment systems to allow physicians to treat cancers using a frameless radiosurgery technique. This offers a valuable alternative to the historical practice that requires immobilization with an invasive head ring affixed to the skull.^[1] The advanced image guidance and computer-driven optimization of ExacTrac® enables physicians to control every step of the treatment pathway, improving workflow and flexibility of treatment planning.

Samuel Ryu M.D., Director of Radiation Oncology at the Henry Ford Health System, USA, comments on the evolution of cancer treatment to frameless radiosurgery:

"We have transitioned to frameless radiosurgery after conducting thorough scientific verifications of the precision of the technique. We have now widely adopted the technique and are applying protocols to treat more than 99 percent of our patients frameless."

By offering precision to a sub-millimeter level, ExacTrac® provides high accuracy during the entire procedure and helps reduce errors within the process, therefore maximizing overall treatment accuracy. By offering the option of non-invasive frameless radiosurgery,^[1] physicians are also able to offer patients a better treatment experience, increasing comfort and reducing anxiety during the procedure.

The adoption rate of ExacTrac® frameless radiosurgery has increased significantly over the last few years. A growing number of physicians worldwide fully rely on the frameless technique for intra-cranial radiosurgery treatments and have eliminated the use of the invasive head ring completely.

Stefan Vilsmeier, CEO of Brainlab, comments:

"At Brainlab we endeavor to innovate and improve radiotherapy treatment. The ExacTrac®  patient position system is a mark of our established heritage in frameless radiosurgery and one which we are continuing to advance to ensure we offer both physicians and patients advanced tools for cancer care."

About Brainlab

Brainlab develops, manufactures and markets software-driven medical technology that supports targeted, less-invasive treatment. Core products are image-guided systems and software that provide real-time information used for surgical navigation and radiosurgical planning and delivery.

Brainlab technology drives collaboration between hospitals and clinicians from a wide variety of subspecialties-from neurosurgery and oncology to orthopedics, ENT, CMF and spine & trauma. This integration delivers better access to improved and more efficient treatment.

Founded in 1989, the privately held Brainlab group has more than 5,000 systems installed in over 80 countries. Based in Munich, Germany, Brainlab employs about 1,000 people in 17 offices worldwide.

[1] Some doctors may opt for a minimally invasive head frame depending on the specific treatment and patient.

To learn more, visit brainlab.com.