Restenosis Revisited — New Targets, New Therapies

Respite gratifying immediate results, progressive narrowing of the coronary arteries over several months all too commonly limits the benefit of balloon angioplasty and various types of atherectomy. Even coronary-artery stents, which achieve a splendid luminal expansion in the short term, often elicit substantial recurrent stenosis with time. Finding effective therapies to combat restenosis after coronary intervention has been difficult. Now Tardif et al., in an admirably designed study reported in this issue of the Journal, 1 show that treatment with a multifunctional agent, probucol, substantially reduces luminal narrowing after balloon coronary angioplasty. Their striking results raise challenging questions about the mechanisms . . .