BACKGROUND Restenosis requiring reintervention is the main limitation of coronary angioplasty. Intracoronary irradiation reduces neointimal proliferation. We studied the efficacy of a self-centering liquid rhenium-188-filled balloon catheter for coronary beta-brachytherapy. METHODS AND RESULTS After successful coronary angioplasty with or without stenting, 225 patients (71% de novo lesions) w...

OBJECTIVES We analyzed the effects of vascular brachytherapy (VBT) on ostial in-stent restenosis (ISR). BACKGROUND In-stent restenosis has a high recurrence rate after percutaneous reintervention. The recurrence rate of ostial ISR lesions and the impact of VBT remain unknown. METHODS We evaluated 133 patients with native coronary ostial ISR from a pooled database of 990 patients enrolled in...

This work deals with the treatment planning optimization for intravascular brachytherapy (IVB) in peripheral arteries. The objective is both to quantitatively study the validity of different hypotheses required for a reliable application of the treatment with current techniques, and to contribute to the definition and the specification of a new optimized procedure taking into account the actual...

BACKGROUND The relation between lesion length and effectiveness of brachytherapy is not well studied. METHODS AND RESULTS We compared serial (postintervention and follow-up) intravascular ultrasound findings in 66 patients with native coronary artery in-stent restenosis (ISR) who were treated with (192)Ir (15 Gy delivered 2 mm away from the radiation source). Patients were enrolled in the Was...

“If I am in a dream, please don’t wake me” are the now-fabled words spoken by Patrick Serruys while viewing follow-up intravascular ultrasound images of sirolimus-eluting stents. The dream of an effective treatment for restenosis has eluded decades of effort by an army of investigators. Scores of devices, hundreds of drugs, and innumerable revascularization “strategies” have failed to eliminate...

AIMS We investigated the influence of tensile stress on plaque growth after balloon angioplasty with and without beta-radiation therapy. METHODS AND RESULTS Thirty-one consecutive patients successfully treated with balloon angioplasty were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively by means of an ECG-gated three-dimensional intravascular ultrasound post-procedure and at follow-up. Eighteen pat...

Absorbed dose distributions in 3D imparted by a single (90)Sr/(90)Y beta particle seed source of the type used for intravascular brachytherapy were investigated. A polymer gel dosimetry medium was used as a dosemeter and phantom, while a special high-resolution laser CT scanner with a spatial resolution of 100 microm in all dimensions was used to quantify the data. We have measured the radial d...

Background—The relation between lesion length and effectiveness of brachytherapy is not well studied. Methods and Results—We compared serial (postintervention and follow-up) intravascular ultrasound findings in 66 patients with native coronary artery in-stent restenosis (ISR) who were treated with Ir (15 Gy delivered 2 mm away from the radiation source). Patients were enrolled in the Washington...