Background: The combination of hyperthermia and radiotherapy has additive or synergistic effects. This combination has been studied extensively in radiation oncology, but not in the prevention of vascular restenosis.
Case report: A patient with restenosis of cephalic vein underwent percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) followed by endovascular irradiation with 192Iridium (12 Gy) using a high dose rate afterloading technique. After endovascular irradiation, one fraction of external ultrasound hyperthermia was administered to the irradiated segment. There was no restenosis in the treated vessel segment according to duplex sonography performed 192 days after treatment. No radiation or hyperthermia associated side effects were observed.
Conclusions: Present observations suggest that endovascular brachytherapy of restenosis potentiated by hyperthermia is a technically feasible and well-tolerated treatment. The additive and synergistic effects of hyperthermia, in conjunction with radiation, could be of benefit in the prevention of vascular restenosis.