Intracoronary brachytherapy in the treatment of in-stent restenosis. Initial experience in Brazil

• Main Authors: Fábio Sândoli de Brito Jr, Rodrigo Hanriot, Breno Oliveira Almeida, Miguel Antonio Neves Rati, Nadia Sueli de Medeiros, Mônica Lagatta, José Carlos da Cruz, João Victor Salvajoli, Marco Antonio Perin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Cardiologia (SBC) 2001-09-01
• Series: Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0066-782X2001000900007

Intracoronary brachytherapy using beta or gamma radiation is currently the most efficient type of therapy for preventing the recurrence of coronary in-stent restenosis. Its implementation depends on the interaction among interventionists, radiotherapists, and physicists to assure the safety and quality of the method. The authors report the pioneering experience in Brazil of the treatment of 2 patients with coronary in-stent restenosis, in whom beta radiation was used as part of the international multicenter randomized PREVENT study (Proliferation REduction with Vascular ENergy Trial). The procedures were performed rapidly and did not require significant modifications in the traditional techniques used for conventional angioplasty. Alteration in the radiological protection devices of the hemodynamic laboratory were also not required, showing that intracoronary brachytherapy using beta radiation can be incorporated into the interventional tools of cardiology in our environment.