Intracoronary irradiation with iridium-192 reduces the rates of stent restenosis but is associated with a higher rate of late thrombosis and risk of myocardial infarction.
After coronary stenting, patients with angina have a high risk of in-stent restenosis. The treatment options for restenosis are limited but low-dose internal radiotherapy has recently emerged as a new way to prevent this complication.
A US, double-blind, randomised trial, published in the 25 January issue of
Martin B. Leon from the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York and colleagues from seven other US cardiology centres studied 252 patients in whom in-stent restenosis had developed. They found that intracoronary irradiation with iridium-192 resulted in lower rates of clinical and angiographic restenosis (28.2%), when compared to a placebo (43.8%, p=0.02). But ...
