title: Drug delivery at the aortic valve tissues of healthy domestic pigs with a Paclitaxel-eluting valvuloplasty balloon.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Restenosis occurs invariably within 1 year following balloon valvulopasty in aortic valve stenosis. The mechanism of restenosis seems to involve a dynamic cellular component that could be a target for drug inhibition. We investigated the feasibility of local drug delivery at the aortic valve tissues of healthy pigs with a paclitaxel-eluting balloon.
  
  
  METHODS
  Aortic valvuloplasty was performed in eight anesthetized domestic pigs using paclitaxel-eluting balloons (3 micro2) balloon surface area). They were assigned to two or four times 15-second balloon inflations and were sacrificed 30 minutes after final balloon inflation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The aortic annulus to balloon diameter ratio was 1.15 +/- 0.07. The mean paclitaxel concentration in the aortic valve leaflets was 0.91 +/- 1.36 micro (0.34 +/- 0.05 micro in the two-inflation group, 1.48 +/- 1.86 micro in the four-inflation group, P = 0.23). The percentage of the total paclitaxel dose recovered in the aortic valve leaflets was 18 +/- 11(-6)% (13 +/- 6(-6)% and 25 +/- 14(-6)% in the two- and four-inflation group, P = 0.16).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Local drug delivery at the aortic valve leaflets of healthy pigs with a paclitaxel-eluting balloon is feasible and concentrations within the therapeutic window are detected 30 minutes after the procedure. The antirestenotic potential of this treatment should be studied.
authors.affiliation: Onassis Cardiac Surgery Centre, Athens, Greece. spargias@ocsc.gr
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Spargias
authors.forename: Krzystof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Milewski
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Debinski
authors.forename: Piotr P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Buszman
authors.forename: Dennis V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Cokkinos
authors.forename: Rembert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pogge
authors.forename: Pawel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Buszman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002404:Catheterization; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D054855:Drug-Eluting Stents; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D017239:Paclitaxel