An article in The Seattle Times covers a new technique used at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia to clear blockages in coronary arteries.
Though the common method is performing a balloon angioplasty, these physicians used a targeted dose of radiation inside an artery to inhibit the regrowth of cells, called brachytherapy—and it worked.
They performed the procedure on Elaine Paparella Vandeputte, a 73-year-old woman who has had blockages in her right coronary four times. Since angioplasties didn’t seem to be working, she opted for the radiation procedure.
“I feel absolutely fantastic,” she said.
To read more about how targeted radiation can be used to clear blockages in coronary arteries, follow the link below:
Senior Writer
As a Senior Writer for TriMed Media Group, Katherine primarily focuses on producing news stories, Q&As and features for Cardiovascular Business. She reports on several facets of the cardiology industry, including emerging technology, new clinical trials and findings, and quality initiatives among providers. She is based out of TriMed's Chicago office and holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Columbia College Chicago. Her work has appeared in Modern Healthcare, Crain's Chicago Business and The Detroit News. She joined TriMed in 2016.