Coronary radiation therapy with liquid rhenium-186: a first clinical experience.
BACKGROUND
Coronary radiation therapy (CRT) is a new, attractive approach for the treatment and prevention of restenosis after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). The RadioCath device consists of a standard balloon dilatation catheter that can be charged with a solution of sodium 186Re perrhenate, a predominant beta emitter. The safety and performance of this new device was evaluated in a pilot trial.


RESULTS
Thirty-three patients with a de novo lesion in a native coronary artery were treated with the RadioCath device after successful angioplasty. The average dwell time to deliver a dose of 20 Gy at 0.5 mm into the vessel wall was 418+/-64 seconds. The treatment was well tolerated by most of the patients. In 79%, only one inflation cycle was required to deliver the prescribed dose. There were two procedural device-related complications (5.9%) and three minor procedural related in-hospital complications (9%).


CONCLUSIONS
CRT using a balloon catheter device, charged with a sodium 186Re perrhenate solution, seems feasible and safe. Clinical and angiographic 6-month follow-up data are pending.
Coussement
P
P
Department of Interventional Cardiology, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, 49 Herestraat, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Stella
P
P
Vanbilloen
H
H
Verbruggen
A
A
van Rijk
P
P
Van Limbergen
E
E
de Jaegere
P
P
De Scheerder
I
I
D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / Q000295:instrumentation; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012008:Recurrence; D012211:Rhenium / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D011868:Radioisotopes; D012211:Rhenium