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FIDUCIAL MARKER PLACEMENT
FIDUCIAL MARKER PLACEMENT

FIDUCIAL MARKER
PLACEMENT & BARRIGEL
RECTAL SPACER

Fiducial markers and Barrigel™ spacer help your care team deliver radiation therapy with accuracy, safety, and peace of mind.1

Understanding Fiducial Markers 

When receiving radiation therapy for prostate cancer, your treatment team needs to know the exact position of your prostate every time you come in for therapy. Because the prostate can shift slightly from day to day, doctors often use fiducial markers – small gold markers – to help track and align your treatment precisely.

These markers serve as reference points, allowing your radiation team to deliver treatment with accuracy. Each fiducial marker is about the size of a grain of rice and remains in the prostate after treatment.

If you are receiving Barrigel™ spacer to reduce rectal side effects of radiation therapy,1 the fiducial markers are typically implanted during the same appointment.

 

What to Expect During the Fiducial Marker Placement Procedure

Fiducial marker placement is typically a short, image-guided procedure.
Here’s what happens:

  1. Comfort and imaging: You’ll receive anesthesia, and your doctor will insert an ultrasound probe into your rectum to clearly view the prostate.

  2. Placement: Using the ultrasound images as a guide, your doctor gently inserts the fiducial markers into the prostate through a thin needle.

  3. Recovery: You can typically return home the same day and resume normal activities within 24 hours.

  4. Your care team will give you full preparation and recovery instructions beforehand.

 

Barrigel Spacer

During the same appointment, your doctor may also place Barrigel spacer, a temporary rectal spacer designed to protect your rectum during prostate radiation therapy1.

Barrigel spacer creates space between your prostate and rectum that has been shown to significantly reduce unwanted radiation exposure to the rectum.1 Learn more: How Barrigel Works

 

Why Precision and Protection Matter

  • Fiducial markers help your care team see and target your prostate accurately.

  • Barrigel spacer helps protect the rectum while the radiation does its job.1

Together, they can give your doctor confidence and provide you with peace of mind—knowing your treatment is delivered with precision and care.

 

Take the Next Step

If you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer and will be undergoing, or are recommended for radiation therapy, talk to your doctor about fiducial markers and rectal spacers.

Find a provider trained in Barrigel spacer placement and learn how this added layer of protection can make a difference in your treatment experience. 

 

APM1417A