ABSTRACT
The successful outcome of clinical trials in the coronary arteries facilitated recognition of vascular brachytherapy to become the standard of care for the treatment of instent restenosis. Simultaneously investigators embarked on a series of studies utilizing vascular brachytherapy as adjunct therapy for intervention in peripheral arteries. Vascular brachytherapy is a promising technology with the potential to reduce restenosis rates. Majority of vascular brachytherapy trials have the use of radiation therapy for the prevention of coronary in-stent restenosis, more data are needed to determine the effectiveness of beta and gamma sources, and the use of centering delivery systems. Different isotopes on various platforms and systems have been developed for the use of endovascular brachytherapy. The main platforms for radiation delivery are catheter-based systems and radioactive stents. Catheter-based systems contain a solid form such as line source wires, radioactive seeds or radioactive balloons, or non-solid sources such as radioactive gas and liquid-filled balloons.
