Brachytherapy rods

This patient had a background of prostate cancer, treated with a form of local radiotherapy known as brachytherapy, where multiple tiny radioactive rods (or ‘seeds’) are implanted directly into the prostate (arrows). These contain a radioactive substance such as Iridium-192.  You will notice that this patient also has several metallic structures in the right iliac fossa which look like tiny springs – these are used to hold a mesh in place in the abdominal wall following inguinal hernia repair.