ABSTRACT
Prostate brachytherapy was initially performed using radium. However, there were many problems associated with its use, one of which was radiation exposure to the hands of the brachytherapist. In the 1970s, the use of iodine-125 (125I) was popularized at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital using an open suprapubic approach. This technique was abandoned in the early 1980s, not because of radiation exposure risks, but rather, because of flaws of seed placement in the technique itself.
