Efficacy and safety of endovascular intracoronary brachytherapy

Intracoronary brachytherapy has emerged as one of the novel exciting developments in the field of interventional cardiology to counteract the problem of restenosis. Restenosis is the major limitation to a full expansion of all revascularization procedures. Elastic recoil, unfavorable remodeling and a proliferative response to injury are the more importune mechanisms to restenosis. The technique of intracoronary brachytherapy involves application of locally delivered radiation or brachytherapy in the management of restenosis. Ionizing radiation has been shown to decrease the proliferative response to injury in animal models of restenosis. Subsequently, several small randomized trials have demonstrated that intracoronary brachytherapy can reduce the rates of both angiographic and clinical restenosis in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for in-stent restenosis.