title: Coronary radiation therapy with liquid rhenium-186: a first clinical experience.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Interventional Cardiology, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, 49 Herestraat, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Coussement
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stella
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vanbilloen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verbruggen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van Rijk
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Van Limbergen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: de Jaegere
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: De Scheerder
mesh_terms: 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*
chemical_list: D011868:Radioisotopes; D012211:Rhenium