Fletcher Allen, a Vermont university hospital and medical center, serves all of
Vermont and the northern New York region. Located in Burlington, Fletcher Allen is a regional, academic healthcare center and teaching hospital in alliance with the University of Vermont.
Prostate Seed Implant
The treatment of prostate cancer has changed a great deal over the last ten years with the widespread adoption of prostate seed implantation.
With the use of ultrasound guidance, the Radiation Oncologist working with a Urologist inserts approximately 100 radioactive seeds into the prostate gland.
Each seed is about the size of a grain of rice and usually contains a radioactive iodine isotope. Some men will have an implant as their only treatment, while others will have this done in conjunction with external beam radiation treatment.
The radioactive implants deliver a very high dose of radiation to the prostate gland and great care is given to selecting the appropriate patients for this procedure. This high dose of radiation always leads to some side effects, most of them temporary and treatable, but they can last for a year or longer.