To Offer Brachytherapy Procedure for Heart Patients Northwestern Memorial is one of the first hospitals in the nation to offer a groundbreaking radiation therapy for patients experiencing recurring coronary blockages in stented arteries. The new technique, recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, greatly reduces the chance of reblockage following the therapy. The procedure, a method of brachytherapy developed by Cordis, uses a whippet-thin catheter to deliver small doses of gamma radiation to destroy scar tissue and inhibit further arterial scarring. Gamma radiation is the most widely applied and potent form of brachytherapy.
Patients experiencing restenosis have a better solution than ever before.
Gamma radiation brachytherapy has been shown to reduce the chance of reblockage by 50 percent. There, tiny seeds of a radioactive isotope are applied to the damaged artery wall by the catheter. The seeds are removed after about 10 minutes. I didn't feel a thing. I was feeling tired before and now I'm feeling great.