Each year, approximately 750,000 patients with blocked coronary arteries undergo a procedure called angioplasty, in which a tiny balloon is used to stretch the artery. Frequently a stent-a stainless steel mesh-like device-is placed inside the artery to hold it open. In 20 to 30 percent of patients, scar tissue forms inside, re-narrowing the artery.

In a unique collaboration, cardiac catheterization laboratory physicians from Bergan Mercy and Immanuel Medical Centers and Midlands Hospital have teamed up with radiation oncologists to offer a new breakthrough procedure that is utilized in the catheterization laboratory.

The new procedure, called intravascular brachytherapy, uses radiation therapy to treat a select group of patients who have previously had coronary stent placements and who tried traditional therapies with limited effect in treating plaque reformation within the stented area.

During this procedure, a cardiologist teams up with a radiation oncologist to implant radioactive seeds for 15 minutes inside the stent to stop scar tissue from forming later.

"Studies have shown a 40 to 50 percent decrease in the formation of scar tissue in patients who received brachytherapy," says Michael M. Dehning, M.D., interventional cardiologist with the Alegent Health Heart and Vascular Institute. "The procedure can be done during an angioplasty and requires a low dose of radiation."

Stephen O'Connor, M.D., a cardiologist with the Alegent Health Heart and Vascular Institute adds, "the procedure can be done during an angioplasty and requires a low dose of radiation."

"We're excited about the fact that Alegent Health is one of the few health systems in the Midwest pioneering the new therapy," says Patrick J. McKenna, M.D., medical director of radiation oncology at Alegent Health Cancer Center.

Find out more about the Alegent Health Heart and Vascular Institute online, or call 1-800-ALEGENT (1-800-253-4368) for details.