title: Post-angioplasty far infrared radiation therapy improves 1-year angioplasty-free hemodialysis access patency of recurrent obstructive lesions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the role of far infrared (FIR) radiation therapy for hemodialysis (HD) access maintenance after percutaneous transluminal angioplasties (PTA).
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective observational study. Eligible patients were those who received repeated PTA with the last PTA successfully performed within 1 week before the study enrollments. Consecutively enrolled patients undergoing successful HD treatments after PTA were randomly assigned to the FIR-radiated group or control group without radiation. FIR-radiated therapy meaning 40-minute radiation at the major lesion site or anastomosed site three times a week was continued until an end-point defined as dysfunction-driven re-PTA or the study end was reached.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 216 participants analyzed, including 97 with arteriovenous grafts (AVG) (49 FIR-radiated participants and 48 control participants) and 119 with arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) (69 FIR-radiated participants and 50 control participants), the FIR-radiated therapy compared with free-radiated usual therapy significantly enhanced PTA-unassisted patency at 1 year in the AVG subgroup (16.3% vs. 2.1%; p < .01), but not the AVF subgroup (25.0% vs. 18.4%; p = .50), and this accounted for the overall improved patency rates (21.4% vs. 10.3%; p = .02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests FIR-radiated therapy improves PTA-unassisted patency in patients with AVG who have undergone previous PTA.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: C-C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: H-C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: G-Y
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Mar
authors.forename: J-C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Liou
authors.forename: C-J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.forename: C-P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon; D001164:Arteriovenous Fistula / Q000628:therapy; D001166:Arteriovenous Shunt, Surgical; D005260:Female; D006083:Graft Occlusion, Vascular / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007259:Infrared Rays / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000528:radiation effects; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D014654:Vascular Patency / Q000528:radiation effects*
keywords: Arteriovenous fistula; Arteriovenous graft; Far infrared radiation; Hemodialysis; Intimal hyperplasia; Patency; Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty