Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 10, 2026
06:44
3D Printing - Evaluating Particle Emissions of a 3D Printing Pen
Published on: October 9, 2020
9.1K
Introducing the 3D printed Montreal Mail applicator for surface brachytherapy: A comparative study.
Jade Bernier1, Stéphanie Lassalle2, Dominique Guillet2
1Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montréal, Canada; Département de Radiologie, Radio-Oncologie et Médecine Nucléaire, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.
Brachytherapy
|February 8, 2026
Summary
The novel Montreal Mail 3D printed applicator offers comparable performance to existing surface brachytherapy devices. Its modular design shows potential for improving clinical efficiency in radiation therapy.
Area of Science:
- Medical Physics
- Radiotherapy Technology
- 3D Printing Applications
Background:
- Commercial surface brachytherapy applicators aid catheter placement but have room for clinical efficiency improvements.
- Novel applicator designs are needed to optimize radiation delivery and patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- Introduce the Montreal Mail, a new modular 3D printed surface brachytherapy applicator.
- Compare the performance of the Montreal Mail against two established reference devices.
Main Methods:
- The Montreal Mail comprises 3D printed chainmail, impression paste, and a silicone pad, radiologically characterized via CT.
- Performance was evaluated using an anthropomorphic hand phantom simulating Dupuytren's disease.
- Quantified source-to-skin distance and assessed dosimetric accuracy using gamma index analysis.
Main Results:
- Montreal Mail components showed radiological response comparable to human tissues.
- Source-to-skin distance variability (interquartile range) was 1.4 mm for Montreal Mail, compared to 1.8 mm (Freiburg Flap) and 0.6 mm (Nova Surface).
- All applicators achieved >96% gamma index passing rates (3%/3 mm), indicating accurate dose delivery.
Conclusions:
- The Montreal Mail demonstrates practical utility and comparable performance to reference devices in surface adhesion and dose delivery.
- Its modular, 3D printed design presents a novel approach with potential to enhance clinical efficiency in surface brachytherapy.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Introducing Social Perception
389
Perceiving others accurately is fundamental to effective communication and relationship-building. Social perception, a key concept in social psychology, refers to the cognitive processes through which individuals gather and interpret information about others to understand their actions, intentions, and motivations. This process extends beyond spoken words and overt behaviors, incorporating subtle nonverbal cues and contextual factors.Nonverbal Cues and Their SignificanceNonverbal cues play a...
389
02:26Comparing Copy Number Variations and SNPs
18.8K
Sequencing of the human genome has opened up several best-kept secrets of the genome. Scientists have identified thousands of genome variations that exist within a population. These variations can be a single nucleotide or a larger chromosomal variation.
Copy number variations or CNVs are the structural variations that cover more than 1kb of DNA sequence. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), on the other hand, is a single nucleotide change or a point mutation that is found in more than 1%...
Copy number variations or CNVs are the structural variations that cover more than 1kb of DNA sequence. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), on the other hand, is a single nucleotide change or a point mutation that is found in more than 1%...
18.8K
01:30Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Surface, Infiltration, and Conduction Block Anesthesia
2.1K
Depending on the target organ, local anesthetics (LAs) can be administered via various routes. In surface anesthesia, LAs are applied directly to the surface of the skin or mucous membranes. It is widely used for topical skin numbing before venipuncture or minor surgical procedures. Commonly used surface local anesthetics are lidocaine or benzocaine sprays or creams. Surface anesthesia occurs within 5 minutes and lasts for about 60 minutes. One of the main disadvantages of topical anesthesia is...
2.1K
02:24Comparative Excretory Systems
26.7K
Animals have evolved different strategies for excretion, the removal of waste from the body. Most waste must be dissolved in water to be excreted, so an animal’s excretory strategy directly affects its water balance.
26.7K
01:09Comparing Experimental Results: Student's t-Test
6.1K
The t-test is a statistical method used to compare the sample mean with a population mean or compare two means from two data sets. The test statistic is calculated from the standard deviation, mean, and number of measurements in the data set at a selected confidence interval and then compared to a table of critical values at this confidence level. If the test statistic is smaller than the critical value, the null hypothesis is accepted. In this case, we state that the difference between the...
6.1K
01:20Comparing the Survival Analysis of Two or More Groups
609
Survival analysis is a cornerstone of medical research, used to evaluate the time until an event of interest occurs, such as death, disease recurrence, or recovery. Unlike standard statistical methods, survival analysis is particularly adept at handling censored data—instances where the event has not occurred for some participants by the end of the study or remains unobserved. To address these unique challenges, specialized techniques like the Kaplan-Meier estimator, log-rank test, and...
609