A new approach to the treatment of in-stent restenosis

  Stenting is currently the predominant treatment for coronary artery disease, and although the advent of drug stents has significantly reduced the incidence of stent restenosis, it has not eliminated stent restenosis. Therefore, as the number of patients with stent placement has increased, the number of patients with restenosis has also gradually increased. However restenotic lesions have a much higher chance of restenosis if stents are put in again due to the metal jacket metal.  In recent years, the drug balloon has emerged as an option for the treatment of restenotic lesions. The drug balloon means that the surface of the balloon carries a drug to prevent restenosis, and after the restenotic lesion is sufficiently dilated, the drug balloon is applied to release the drug to the lesion and then the balloon is returned, avoiding restenosis while avoiding the repositioning of the stent. The efficacy of drug balloons has been demonstrated in foreign studies, and in the PEPCADII ISR trial, the incidence of restenosis after comparison of drug balloons and re-stenting was 7% in the drug balloons and 20% in the stent group.  Although the drug balloon did not prevent restenosis 100% of the time, it reduced the chance of in vivo stent sleeve stenting in some patients. Currently, the drug balloon is only in clinical trials in China, and our hospital is also a participating unit. It is estimated that the drug balloon will be marketed in China in the near future, bringing a new treatment option to patients.