Resumo

VEGA HERNANDEZ, Manuel  e  ALFONSO LAGUARDIA, Rodolfo. Design, construction, and use of peripheral multichannel intracavitary vaginal applicator for brachytherapy. Rev cubana med [online]. 2006, vol.45, n.4. ISSN 0034-7523.

The intracavitary vaginal brachytherapy is often administered using single-channel cylindrical applicators with HDR sources. The intracavitary vaginal multichannel cylinder (8 channels) allows the preferential treatment of a part of the vaginal mucosa, and it is developed to improve and to widen the intracavitary brachytherapy capacity. The applicator makes possible to activate channels considered useful, with variable lengths, to irradiate the target volumes of the vagina, avoiding the overirradiation of the healthy regions. A dose gradient is achieved in the surface of the peripheral multichannel vaginal applicator favouring the treatment of the superficial injuries of the vaginal mucosa, dropping the dose of the rectum by 12 %. This study was undertaken to demonstrate the usefulness of the multichannel applicators in the vagina and rectum. The results of the construction of applicators and their characteristics were explained

Palavras-chave : Brachytherapy [method]; vaginal applicator [radiotherapy]; HDR [high dose rate].