Varian VitalBeam

Varian VitalBeam is a linear accelerator built for high-volume external radiotherapy departments. It is the simpler, reduced-option machine in the manufacturer range: the same beam physics as the TrueBeam platform, but with fewer energy and dose-rate modes, without the high-definition collimator, and with stereotactic body radiotherapy and motion management offered as optional configuration rather than as standard. It covers the techniques that make up most modern radiation treatment, including intensity-modulated radiotherapy, rotational arc delivery and image-guided positioning, and can be configured for stereotactic body radiotherapy. Imaging is integrated into the machine, so a scan can be taken with the patient already in the treatment position and the couch corrected automatically before the beam is switched on. Respiratory gating allows treatment to be synchronised with breathing for tumours that move. For patients, this means short, painless sessions with the target verified each day.