Cardiologists At Montefiore Medical Center Use Radioactive Seeds To Prevent Clogged Arteries
BRONX, NY (September 1, 2001) - Cardiologists at Montefiore Medical Center are treating patients with a highly advanced device that uses tiny, radioactive seeds to prevent in-stent restenosis, a fairly common condition in heart patients who have had a coronary stent placed.
Montefiore is one of only a few institutions in the New York Metropolitan area using the device.
In-stent restenosis occurs when wire mesh tubes, or stents, that cardiologists place inside clogged arteries following an angioplasty, become clogged with new tissue growth. Approximately 100,000 patients in the U.S. need treatment for this condition annually.
"There is currently no effective treatment for in-stent restenosis other than bypass surgery, so this new form of radiation therapy, known as brachytherapy, represents a major advancement in treatment options for heart patients," said David Brown, MD, a cardiologist at Montefiore.
Here is why the new treatment is important. The standard treatment today for a narrowed coronary artery is an angioplasty, in which a small balloon at the tip of a catheter is inserted into the artery and used to open up a blocked site. During the same procedure, cardiologists then insert a wire mesh tube, or stent, in the narrowed portion of the artery to prop it open. This works to restore blood flow for most patients, but a sizeable number of patients with stents get in-stent restenosis in which scar tissue grows between the stent's mesh and causes clogging again. Applying radiation to the site of the in-growth of scar tissue reduces the chances of the artery becoming re-narrowed by approximately 40%.
Worldwide, approximately 6,000 heart patients have received radiation seed treatment to prevent in-stent restenosis using a system called Beta-Cath, which is manufactured by Novoste Corporation.
Montefiore Medical Center, The University Hospital and Academic Medical Center for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, is an internationally recognized leader in patient care, education, research and community services. Montefiore provides treatment programs for patients with all major illnesses and has distinguished centers of excellence in heart care, cancer care, children’s health, women’s health and surgery.
The Montefiore-Einstein Heart Center provides a full range of services, from diagnostic
procedures to interventional cardiology, cardiac surgery and rehabilitation. Montefiore’s recently designated Heart Transplant Center is one of only five such centers in New York State.
