Backgrounds: Interstitial brachytherapy (IBT) plays an important role in the treatment of recurrent malignant gliomas and prolongs survival in selected patients. Design and Subjects: High-dose-rate (HDR) IBT of brain tumours using magnetic resonance (MRI) planning – feasibility study. Methods and Results: A locally recurrent anaplastic astrocytoma 50x30x25 mm in the left parietotemporal area was revealed in a young man by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Three interstitial brachytherapy catheters were stereotactically inserted. The catheters were positioned according to the Paris dosimet- ric system. The MRI scans served for planning of treatment. Localization of the applicators was verified on a simulator using the orthogonal technique. The dose was specified to the periphery of contrast enhanced tumour and the reference isodose covered the volume of 31.4 ccm. The patient was treated with 4x4,5 Gy on four consecutive days. The treatment was well tolerated. Conclusions: Our initial experience suggests that MRI planning enables an accurate IBT procedure. To the author’s knowledge, this is the first presentation of interstitial HDR brachytherapy for a brain tumour in the Czech Republic.

        Key words: brachytherapy, glioma, HDR