ELEKTA SETS NEW STANDARD IN STEREOTACTIC RADIOSURGERY BY INTRODUCING LEKSELL GAMMA KNIFE(R) PERFEXION™

At the 13th International Leksell Gamma Knife Society Meeting, currently (May 21-25) in session in Seoul, Korea, 300 leading neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists and Leksell Gamma Knife users from around the world today were given a first hand introduction to Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™, a brand new system for stereotactic radiosurgery with outstanding patient and staff comfort and better dosimetry performance than any other competitive radiosurgical system currently on the market.More patients can now benefit from Gamma Knife® surgeryCompared to earlier models, Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion allows for a dramatically increased treatable volume. Subsequently, this new system is estimated to increase the number of patients that can benefit from Gamma Knife surgery by up to 40 percent. The fully automated and efficient single push button approach is expected to save 3-6 working weeks of physician time per year at an average Gamma Knife center.The patented collimator design provides the neurosurgeon or radiation oncologist with almost unlimited ability for sculpting the dose to produce complex dose distributions with incomparable accuracy. The new system also comes with Leksell GammaPlan® PFX™, a new client-based treatment planning system with remote capabilities provides all the tools needed to make full use of the sophistication and new features of Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion. Designed from the ground up with patient and staff comfort in mind, the body dose to patient is up to 100 times less with Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion, compared with competing technologies, important not least for pediatric treatments and treatment of women of childbearing age. Room radiation levels are low enough to allow for a window into the treatment room and the system is accommodated within a normal sized room. Together, this results in significantly reduced building costs for any hospital installing a radiosurgery unit. A completely new and optimized design“This technological breakthrough incorporates a completely new and optimized design that will improve and expand Gamma Knife surgery while maintaining full clinical compatibility with Gamma Knife procedures and protocols based on 400,000 treated patients”, says Tomas Puusepp, President and CEO of Elekta. “With Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion, the gold standard just went platinum. This is a quantum leap in the field of radiosurgery and an important milestone both for Elekta and the neurosurgical community. Even more important, Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion will benefit many thousands of patients who can now be treated with Gamma Knife surgery instead of more risky and invasive procedures”, Tomas Puusepp concludes. Developed in close collaboration with leading expertsLeksell Gamma Knife Perfexion has been developed by Elekta in close collaboration with leading neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists and physicists from Europe and the U.S. “With the Perfexion system, Gamma Knife surgery is brought to the next level”, says Douglas Kondziolka, M.D., M.Sc., at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Center for Image Guided Radiosurgery, Pennsylvania, USA, and continues; “It has been an exciting process to initially provide input into this extensive development project and to now witness the result, meeting and actually exceeding our expectations. Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion will allow us to care for patients with even more refined and elegant methods, and with more efficiency. As we look ahead, the use of radiosurgery in cancer is just beginning and it is my belief that this new system will speed up this process.”“Our increasing ability to control primary cancers creates increased urgency to detect and treat metastatic lesions”, says David Larson, M.D., Ph.D., at the Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California San Francisco, who participated in the development process. “Naturally, we want to do so non-invasively when possible and with a resulting positive impact on quality of life. Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion, a remarkably sophisticated instrument, can safely and efficiently radiate multiple targets in a single session, and will surely benefit many patients”, he concludes.A full range of solutions to build a stereotactic center of excellenceElekta is the world’s only radiosurgery solutions provider with the systems, software and service needed to build a stereotactic center of excellence with dedicated solutions for both head and body. The breadth of Elekta’s portfolio allows a neurosurgery or radiation oncology center to develop a reputation for superior patient care and to build strong, profitable collaborations.Leksell Gamma Knife is the only gold standard for targeting brain disorders, including intracranial metastatic lesions and functional targets and Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion represents the top end of Elekta’s range of products for stereotactic radiosurgery. The introduction of this new system has greatly increased the Gamma Knife surgery product line, allowing customers several options across the spectrum of price and performance, including Leksell Gamma Knife® 4C and Leksell Gamma Knife® 4, the new entry-level and community hospital system to be available from Elekta in 2007.As the ideal complement to Leksell Gamma Knife, Elekta recently introduced Elekta Axesse™, the world’s only 6D robotic image guided radiosurgery system, enabling radiosurgery throughout the body and optimized for treatment of the spine. The new Elekta Axesse™ system uses exclusive stereotactic technology and true three-dimensional X-ray volume imaging to ensure fast, efficient and accurate treatment. In addition to treating the spine, this new system is optimized for extracranial stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), as well as stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) applications that can benefit from the system’s tremendous flexibility and accuracy that also accommodates for image guided as well as intensity modulated radiation therapy (IGRT and IMRT). Along with Leksell Gamma Knife, this new system gives hospitals the power to choose the best treatment for patients and the best business investment. ******Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ is currently under installation at pilot sites and, Elekta expects to commence commercial deliveries in the spring of 2007.Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ and Elekta Axesse™ are subject to regulatory clearance in North America.******