BACKGROUND: Cutting Balloon angioplasty (CBA) may be a useful treatment modality for in-stent restenosis (ISR) as it maintains a stable position during dilatation and results in potentially less injury than plain old balloon angioplasty (POBA). The purpose of this study was to compare CBA and POBA with intracoronary radiation therapy (IRT) for in-stent restenosis (ISR). METHODS: We selected 157 consecutive patients from the WRIST (Washington Radiation for In-stent restenosis Trial) series of gamma radiation trials using both gamma and beta emitters for ISR of native coronaries or saphenous vein grafts, who were treated with CBA or POBA as the only treatment strategy before intracoronary radiation therapy. Patients in the CBA (N=64) and POBA (N=93) groups were matched for baseline demographic and procedural characteristics. Radiation was delivered successfully in all cases. RESULTS: At angiographic follow up, acute gain was higher in the CBA group than the POBA group (1.7+/-.7 mm vs. 1.4+/-.9 mm, p=0.03). The angiographic restenosis rate (17.1% vs. 23.5%, p=NS) and edge restenosis rate (6.3% vs. 12.2%, p=NS) were not significantly lower in the cutting balloon cohort. At a 6 month clinical follow up, the CBA group showed a statistically decreased rate of clinically driven target vessel revascularization compared to the POBA group (5.7% vs.18.3%, p=0.038). CONCLUSION: Cutting balloon angioplasty is a reasonable treatment strategy for in-stent restenosis prior to intracoronary radiation therapy.
Angioplasty, Balloon* ; Brachytherapy ; Cohort Studies ; Coronary Restenosis ; Dilatation ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gamma Rays ; Humans ; Saphenous Vein ; Stents ; Transplants ; Wrist