Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Feb 25;15(1):62-72.
doi: 10.4103/tjo.TJO-D-24-00108. eCollection 2025 Jan-Mar.

Innovations in brachytherapy

Joshua Lim  1   2   3 , Alvin Wei Jun Teo  1 , Tian Rui Siow  4 , Kwang Ping Chan  4 , Gavin Siew Wei Tan  1   2   3
Affiliations
Review

Innovations in brachytherapy

Joshua Lim et al. Taiwan J Ophthalmol. .

Abstract

Plaque brachytherapy plays an essential role in the management of intraocular tumors, allowing localized treatment while minimizing damage to surrounding structures. Since the earliest reports of sutured radon seeds used in glioma treatment in the 1920s, plaque brachytherapy in the field of ocular oncology has continued to expand and improve significantly. Today, a wide variety of ocular conditions, both oncologic and not can be treated using plaque brachytherapy. Continued innovations have also improved clinical safety and efficacy for both providers and patients alike. The use of new radioisotopes, combined with continued refinement in plaque design and applicators alongside radiation dose planning are some of novel methods used to maximize coverage and reduce radiation exposure to critical eye structures. In this paper, we will discuss promising future developments that will continue to revolutionize treatment.

Keywords: Brachytherapy; innovations; ocular brachytherapy; ocular tumors.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interests of this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The iWand A®. The device comprises an applicator with an attached Y-90 disc. The radioactive disc is surrounded by custom-made beta radiation shielding material to prevent unwanted lateral absorption of radioactive doses[29]
Figure 2
Figure 2
The iWand P®. The device has additional illuminated guide lights surrounding the applicator with attached Y-90 disc. This design allows for intraoperative siting of the radioactive disc via scleral back illumination[29]
Figure 3
Figure 3
Intraoperative B-scan capture demonstrating the utility of intraoperative ultrasound plaque position confirmation. Hypoacoustic shadow attenuation can be appreciated posterior to the limits of the tumor when the plaque is positioned correctly (Dashed lines)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Barkan H. Bilateral glioma treated by radium. Arch Ophthalmol. 1934;11
    1. Brewington BY, Shao YF, Davidorf FH, Cebulla CM. Brachytherapy for patients with uveal melanoma: Historical perspectives and future treatment directions. Clin Ophthalmol. 2018;12:925–34. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Shields JA, Shields CL. Management of posterior uveal melanoma: Past, present, and future: The 2014 Charles L. Schepens lecture. Ophthalmology. 2015;122:414–28. - PubMed
    1. Shields JA, Shields CL, De Potter P, Cu-Unjieng A, Hernandez C, Brady LW. Plaque radiotherapy for uveal melanoma. Int Ophthalmol Clin. 1993;33:129–35. - PubMed
    1. Moore RF. The value of radium in intraocular lesions. Trans Ophthalmol Soc UK. 1935;55:3–26.

LinkOut - more resources