Radiation nukes restenosis
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Got a problem with restenosis? Zap it with radiation, says cardiologist Dr Spencer King III, of Emory University in Atlanta. More than 25% of angioplasty patients and 17% of stent patients experience restenosis within six months of the procedure because the treated coronary arteries are damaged by the stretching and respond by forming scar-like tissue which obstructs the vessel. Now it looks as if the tables have been turned. Radiation treatment significantly reduced restenosis in two trials presented at the American College of Cardiology in Anaheim, California last week.