Originally Released: November, 1998
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Marriage of two medical specialties can aid heart patients

Testing is under way at the University of Maryland Medical Center on a new method of opening blocked coronary arteries that may prevent the need for repeat balloon angioplasties or bypass surgery.

If proven effective, the technique could save the U.S. health system as much as $1 billion a year.

Coronary artery disease is the leading killer in the United States, and one principal therapy is balloon angioplasty -- the insertion of a catheter into the coronary artery, where the blockage is opened up by a small balloon. An estimated 500,000 patients have angioplasty each year. Unfortunately, in as many as one-third of them, the artery becomes re-narrowed.

To solve the problem, researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center and about 25 other sites around the country are using low-dose radiation therapy delivered through a catheter using radioactive "seeds." The radiation prevents excessive scarring of the artery that can be seen after angioplasties. During a routine angioplasty, doctors inflate the balloon to unblock the artery then deflate it. In the new procedure, after the balloon is deflated, the "seeds" are inserted and then withdrawn after several minutes.

"There are several hundred thousand repeat balloon angioplasties performed each year," says Warren Laskey, M.D., associate director of cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center and professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "At an average cost of $20,000 per case, we would be looking at a savings of about $1 billion a year if this therapy is successful, in addition to having a great benefit for our patients."

Mohan Sunthalaringam, M.D., vice chair of the department of radiation oncology at the University of Maryland Medical Center and assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine explains, "Although we use radioactive implants to treat malignancies, including prostate cancer, this is the first time we have used them to treat coronary artery disease."

"What impresses people in medicine most about our study is the coordination between radiation oncology and cardiology," he says. "It's an unlikely pairing, but it shows a great deal of promise."

Early results from the nationwide trial demonstrate a greater than 70 percent reduction in the need for repeat angioplasties.

Dr. Laskey and Dr. Sunthalaringam have treated nearly 70 patients with this therapy, the most at any study site. They have begun a second part of the study and are seeking patients who already have had a stent placed in their coronary artery to see if the new technique can help them, too. To find out about eligibility for the study, call 410-328-2058.

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This page was last updated on: March 12, 2008.