Local drug delivery: an emerging approach in the treatment of restenosis.
Very limited success has been demonstrated with systemic pharmacological treatment to reduce the incidence of restenosis following angioplasty in patients. The lack of success of many of the pharmacotherapeutic agents in reducing the restenosis rates post-angioplasty and following stent implementation is believed to arise from inadequate concentrations of the agents at the lesion site. This has led to the development of various local delivery devices that would ideally deliver and retain adequate amounts of drug to the vessel wall for sufficient periods of time to ensure a therapeutic effect without inducing further injury or compromising blood flow. Local dosing would avoid systemic toxicity, and the use of modified balloon catheters or coated stents might enable percutaneous approaches.
Ettenson
D S
DS
Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139, USA.
Edelman
E R
ER
D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D000818:Animals; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D015607:Stents; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000379:methods*
D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents