Introduction: The purpose of this study was to describe our initial "real-world" experience with vascular b-radiation for in-stent restenosis using a simple angioplasty approach without stent implantation.
Materials and methods: Thirty-five consecutive patients with in-stent restenosis were treated with balloon angioplasty (n = 28), cutting balloon angioplasty (n = 3), or angioplasty plus stent implantation (only in case of significant dissection: n = 4), followed by catheter-based beta-radiation. Angiographic follow-up was performed after 6 to 10 months.
Results: One patient experienced a left main stem occlusion immediately after beta-radiation, which necessitated an acute coronary bypass operation. No other complications related to the radiation procedure were observed. In-stent restenosis recurred in 6 of the 34 patients (18%).
Discussion: Our results indicate that catheter-based radiation can be safely introduced at centres without previous experience with this treatment modality. Furthermore, the in-stent restenosis recurrence rates after catheter-based radiation which have been obtained in randomised trials can be reproduced in consecutive patients.