Elekta Emphasizes Advantages of Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion Over Competing Systems at 2011 AANS Meeting

ATLANTA and DENVER, April 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- At the 2011 American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Annual Meeting, April 9-13 at the Colorado Convention Center, Elekta (booth #1717) will highlight characteristics of Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion that separate the system from other radiosurgery solutions. These include its dedication to intracranial cases, complete solution integration, industry-leading accuracy, "shrink-wrap" dose conformity and extensively proven clinical efficacy. Demonstrations of the system will emphasize that Perfexion is designed to minimize the risk of human error and radiation toxicity, while optimizing accuracy and dose conformance.

The ability of Leksell Gamma Knife® to limit radiation exposure to normal tissues was presented in an article published in a recent issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery(1). Investigators found that among three different treatment platforms, therapy planned with Leksell Gamma Knife would result in "much smaller normal brain volumes receiving any particular dose" than plans developed with the two other systems.

Extending the reach of Gamma Knife surgery

The opportunity to expand the clear clinical and safety advantages of Perfexion is realized in the Extend system, which also will be exhibited at the Elekta booth. Extend enables multi-session hypofractionation of a therapy that is traditionally a single-session treatment. Extend enables clinicians to treat over two to five fractions patients with larger tumors or lesions close to critical structures located in the brain, skull base and in other head/neck regions. Extend non-invasively immobilizes the patient's head, making hypofractionated therapy using Perfexion practical for these cases.

Other meeting highlights

At AANS, Elekta also will exhibit several other solutions that improve the management of neurological and neurosurgical cases, including:

• Elekta Neuromag® TRIUX, the latest generation magnetoencephalography (MEG) system

• Elekta Axesse, an advanced, versatile stereotactic treatment system, designed to facilitate highly targeted stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and radiosurgery (SBRS) anywhere in the body

• SonoWand Invite, an intra-operative imaging system with high quality 3D ultrasound and navigation for brain surgery

• Leksell Stereotactic System® for functional neurosurgery. Exceptional imaging, high platform rigidity and ease of use ensure that critical accuracy requirements are met for this surgical discipline

• Leksell SurgiPlan®, Elekta's advanced image-based neurosurgical planning software specifically designed for Leksell Stereotactic System®

Leksell Radiosurgery Award winner to be announced

On April 11, the AANS will present the 2011 Leksell Radiosurgery Award to Dr. Robert Starke from the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center. As part of the program, Dr. Starke will give a talk, titled "Gamma Knife Radiosurgery of Meningiomas Located in the Posterior Fossa: Factors Predictive of Outcome and Recurrence."

(1.) Ma L, Petti P, Wang B, et al. Apparatus dependence of normal brain tissue dose in stereotactic radiosurgery for multiple metastases. Published online March 4, 2011; DOI: 10.3171/2011.1.JNS101056.

About Elekta

Elekta is a human care company pioneering significant innovations and clinical solutions for treating cancer and brain disorders. The company develops sophisticated, state-of-the-art tools and treatment planning systems for radiation therapy and radiosurgery, as well as workflow enhancing software systems across the spectrum of cancer care.

Stretching the boundaries of science and technology, providing intelligent and resource-efficient solutions that offer confidence to both healthcare providers and patients, Elekta aims to improve, prolong and even save patient lives, making the future possible.

Today, Elekta solutions in oncology and neurosurgery are used in over 5,000 hospitals globally, and every day more than 100,000 patients receive diagnosis, treatment or follow-up with the help of a solution from the Elekta Group.

Elekta employs around 2,500 employees globally. The corporate headquarter is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and the company is listed on the Nordic Exchange under the ticker EKTAb. For more information about Elekta, please visit www.elekta.com.

SOURCE Elekta