Prevention of re-stenosis of coronary arteries by radionuclides

Abstract

In the developed world heart disease, primarily in the forms of coronary artery disease, vies with all cancers as the biggest cause of premature deaths. Even in the developing world, as many live longer, death rates from heart disease increase and the disease becomes more prominent. The ideal solution would be primary prevention, which would require the control of diet, often from a young age, and the reduction of plasma cholesterol, again from a young age. There is also a need to reduce the rate of diabetes and treat hypertension. Then all one would need to do is stop people from smoking! Indeed, much work has been done in this area and over the past 20 years there has been a fall in the number of deaths from coronary artery disease in both North America and Western Europe. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.