First clinical experience with a remote afterloading system for low dose rate interstitial breast implants.

A new remote afterloading system, developed for low or medium dose rate brachytherapy has been clinically evaluated. With this apparatus, the Micro-Selectron, up to 15 192Ir wires or seeds encapsulated in a plastic tubing can be loaded simultaneously into implants. Improved radiological protection for the medical staff has now been achieved with this apparatus. One hundred and sixty patients have been treated so far with breast implants using remote afterloading. The mean error frequency over the last year was about one error every 10 treatments of which about half could be considered as machine failures. All treatments could, however, be finished by using spare channels of the afterloader. We have found that a set of 45 source assemblies is adequate for the loading of the breast-needle implants performed in our institute. Every 6 to 8 weeks a new set of 192Ir sources is prepared.