Vascular brachytherapy: a new approach to renal artery in-stent restenosis

Renovascular hypertension is frequently the result of atherosclerosis and has been successfully treated with percutaneous angioplasty. Stenting of vessels has helped to significantly lower the rate of restenosis after angioplasty; however, neointimal hyperplasia frequently results in growth of tissue through the stent, causing in-stent restenosis. Similar problems are seen in coronary stenting, and vascular brachytherapy has been shown to effectively prevent repeat in-stent restenosis. While coronary and renal restenoses occur by a common physiologic mechanism, their anatomic differences have prevented widespread adaptation of vascular brachytherapy to renal in-stent restenoses. A number of recent reports have demonstrated efficacy of renal vascular brachytherapy, but thus far, no large-scale, randomized data is available. Herein is reviewed the subject of renal vascular brachytherapy and the studies that are presently used in its justification.