A technique to keep fatty plaque from blocking arteries again after doctors have used angioplasty to clear them has been developed by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Angioplasty is the “gold standard” of treatment for acute heart attacks, which often result after fatty plaque deposits on the walls of arteries rupture and block blood supply to the heart. In angioplasty, doctors insert a balloon into the blocked artery and inflated, thus reopening the artery and restoring blood flow. A coronary stent is then implanted to keep the artery open. Unfortunately, the procedure damages the artery wall and makes re-blockage more likely.
The new technique, called irreversible electroporation (IRE), uses very short electric field pulses to destroy cells within seconds. It penetrates cell membranes and causes cell death within the targeted cells but doesn’t harm cells outside the treated area.
Professor Boris Rubinsky, who developed the technique, found that the procedure destroyed cells responsible for re-blocking arteries safely, quickly, and effectively in rats. IRE destroyed cells in less than 23 seconds. Human clinical trials are planned for the near future.
When compared with other techniques to destroy cells and tissue locally, IRE is simple and doesn’t require medical teams to be specially trained. The technique has been used on humans to treat liver, prostate, and lung tumors.
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