Results of cutting balloon angioplasty for stent restenosis. Japanese multicenter registry

The role of brachytherapy and Cutting BalloonTM angioplasty in the current treatment of stent restenosis

The Gamma I, START and INHIBIT trials conclusively demonstrate the feasibility, safety and efficacy of intracoronary radiation as the treatment of choice for stent restenosis. Further reports confirm this finding and extend the indications. Vascular brachytherapy should be made available for all patients with diffuse stent restenosis. Specific devices such as cutting balloons may improve the procedure but does not seem to have an impact alone on the evolution.