Intracoronary Brachytherapy, a Promising Treatment Option for Diabetic Patients: Results from a European Multicenter Registry (RENO)

Despite advances in the interventional treatment of coronary disease, diabetics still have double the case fatality rate as nondiabetics. The purpose of this analysis from the Radiation in Europe With Novoste (RENO) registry was to assess the clinical and angiographic 6-month outcome of diabetic patients in comparison to nondiabetic patients after localized β-radiation. A total of 1,098 patients (83.8% with in-stent restenosis) treated with the Novoste Beta-Cath system in Europe were enrolled in the RENO registry. Diabetes was, irrespective of the type of lesion treated, no significant risk factor for major adverse cardiac events or target vessel revascularization. Individuals with diabetes (n = 256) and without diabetes (n = 833) displayed no significant differences concerning clinical or angiographic endpoints. Vascular brachytherapy appears to be the first technique to even out the increased risk of diabetic patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions in the routine clinical setting. Thus, intracoronary brachytherapy represents a promising treatment option for diabetic patients.