Image-guided navigation systems for interstitial brachytherapy.

Interstitial brachytherapy has shown quite promising therapeutic effects in the treatment of tumors in various body regions. Prior to the navigation techniques with quantitative imaging feedback during the procedure, the safety and accuracy of interstitial brachytherapy mainly depended upon the operator's experience, spatial skills and mind reconstruction of the anatomical structures. Different navigation systems have been reported to be experimented on various phantoms and clinically applied in the brachytherapy of many anatomic sites. The numerous advancements of navigation systems integrated with multiple imaging modalities increase accuracy and standardization of the brachytherapy procedure, guarantee clinical effects and even enable less experienced operators to deliver a precise procedure. This article reviews the existing navigation systems and techniques for brachytherapy and discusses the relevant clinical applications.