Dutch study questions value of radioactive stents:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
A Dutch team has cast doubt over the effectiveness of radioactive stents. The devices delay rather than prevent the development of in-stent neointimal hyperplasia, which is the usual cause of restenosis, say researchers. They implanted radioactive stents emitting beta-radiation in the coronary arteries of 40 patients. Their findings, published in Circulation (January 2/9), showed a "worrying late progression of in-stent neointimal hyperplasia" between six months and one year after implantation. The event-free rate at one year was 53%, which the team says "is not favourable when compared with conventional stenting".