Long-term Debt - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
Sep. 28, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Oct. 01, 2010
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest paid on long-term debt	$ 0.8	$ 1.5	$ 2.1

The amount of cash paid during the current period for interest owed on long-term debt.

No definition available.

Name:	var_InterestPaidLongTermDebt
Namespace Prefix:	var_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration