A versatile permanent planar implant technique utilizing iodine-125 seeds imbedded in gelfoam

Tumors attached or adjacent to critical structures can often not be completely resected or resected with adequate surgical margins. Sites involving major blood vessels, the vertebral column or the brain with small residual tumors or suspicious margins often present technical difficulties for standard I-125 or Ir-192 implants. A relatively simple, accurate and inexpensive implant method is described using I-125 seeds imbedded in gelfoam to implant permanently into small residual tumors or suspicious margins where standard implant techniques may be unsatisfactory. A method for planning the treatment dose for such an implant is described. Cases involving paraspinal and brain tumors are reported to illustrate the technique.