166Ho-coated balloon for vascular brachytherapy.

A simple procedure was developed for coating the surface of a conventional percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty balloon angioplasty catheter with 166Ho. The absorbed dose delivered by the surface-coated catheter is twice that of a similar catheter filled with a solution containing the same activity of 166Ho. Leakage tests show that <0.6% of the coated activity is removable from the surface of the catheter. The coated catheter removes the risk of release of the 166Ho into the body as a result of rupture of the balloon, and also reduces the radiation exposure to staff.