Radiation Therapy for Prevention and Treatment of Restenosis

Abstract

Coronary revascularization with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTCA) and stenting is widely used as standard procedure in patients with coronary artery disease. More than 500,000 percutaneous coronary revascularization Procedures are carried out in the US annually. However, coronary restenosis is a major problem in these patients. Restenosis occurs in 30-40 Percent Patients of Patients undergoing PTCA alone and in 20-30 percent patients undergoing coronary stenting². More than 150,000 cases of restenosis occurs every year in US. Investigators have tried novel therapeutic procedures to tackle with this problem. Since restenosis is essentially a cell proliferative procedure there has been efforts to find ways and means to inhibit cellular proliferation at the site of intervention. Intra-coronary radiotherapy has been proposed as possible means for preventing restenosis exploiting its cytotoxic Potential.