| A company that has developed
a device that uses radiation to treat patients who experience the regrowth
of coronary plaque following a cardiac procedure will discuss the device with
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region I staff at an information-only meeting
on Tuesday, February 26.
Specifically, representatives of the Guidant Corporation will address technical
issues associated with the safe use of the company's Galileo intravascular
brachytherapy high-dose afterloader device.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. in the Public Meeting Room
at the NRC Region I office. It will be open to the public, with NRC staff
members available afterwards to answer questions from interested members of
the public.
It has been estimated that hundreds of thousands of Americans undergo coronary
angioplasty procedures each year to remove plaque on artery walls. Many of
these patients require the placement of stents to maintain proper blood flow.
However, some of these patients will develop the regrowth of coronary plaque,
known as restenosis, leading to a recurrence of symptoms.
One method of treating this condition is intravascular brachytherapy, in
which a device like that developed by Guidant uses a wire to deliver beta
radiation to specific sections of an artery in an effort to prevent restenosis.
|
