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U.S. Department of Energy
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Engineering Radioactive Stents for the Prevention of Restenosis

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/831121· OSTI ID:831121
Radiation has become an accepted treatment for the prevention of restenosis (re-blockage) of coronary arteries following angioplasty. Radioactive stents could be the easiest method of delivery for the radiation, although clinical trials were disappointing. One likely reason was the choice of P-32 as the radionuclide, which fails to match the biological needs of the problem. What radionuclide would perform best remains unknown. This project established the physical infrastructure necessary for a rational investigation to determine the optimum radiological characteristics for radioactive stents in the prevention of restenosis following angioplasty. The project investigated methods to activate coronary stents with radionuclides that spanned a range of energies and radiation types that could provide a mapping of the biological response. The project also provided calibration methods to determine the strength of the stents, an a process to calculate the dose distribution actually delivered to the patient's artery--quantities necessary for any future scientific study to improve the effectiveness of radioactive stents. Such studies could benefit the thousands of patients who receive angioplasty each year.
Research Organization:
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
Nuclear Science (US)
DOE Contract Number:
FG07-01ID14107
OSTI ID:
831121
Report Number(s):
DOE/ID14107-3
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English