Dr Cortese is Interventional Cardiologist and Chief of Research, Innovation and Development of the Cardiac Dpt at Fatebenefratelli Hospital in Milan, Italy. His main contests of interest are new technologies in the catheterization laboratory, including drug-coated balloons and bioresorbable scaffolds. Dr Cortese is one of the most world-renowned experts in drug-coated balloons technology, and among other contributions he conceived and published the Italian Guidelines on Drug-Eluting Balloon angioplasty in the coronary field, that were endorsed by the Italian Scientific Society of Interventional Cardiology (GISE); the International Guidelines on Drug-Eluting Balloon angioplasty in the peripheral field, published in the European Heart Journal in 2016. Since 2014 Dr Cortese is member of the Scientific Committee of the Italian Society of Interventional Cardiology. He is involved in several educational programs, including the "DEB School", and he is author of more than 120 publications indexed in Pubmed.

Offers a comprehensive, up-to-date summary of drug-coated balloon (DCB) technology

Explains how DCBs "work" and how the drug acts on the vessel wall

Examines the applications of DCBs in different treatment contexts

Discusses newer DCB technologies in depth, including sirolimus- and everolimus-coated balloons

1 The history of drug-coated balloons.- 2 Previous mistakes and how to prevent them in the future.- 3 Local drug delivery to prevent restenosis of coronary and peripheral arteries.- 4 Technical insights on drug-coated balloons.- 5 Potential clinical advantages of DCB in specific clinical settings.- 6 The role of drug-coated balloons for the treatment of coronary in-stent restenosis.- 7 The role of drug-coated balloons for the treatment of native coronary vessels.- 8 The role of drug-coated balloons for the treatment of coronary bifurcations.-9 Dissection management with drug-coated balloons.- 10 The role of drug-coated balloons on late lumen enlargement.- 11 The role of drug-coated balloons for the treatment of peripheral in-stent restenosis.- 12 The role of drug-coated balloons for the treatment of native SFA.- 13 The role of drug-coated balloons for the treatment of native below-the-knee arteries.- 14 The role of drug-coated balloons for the treatment of other peripheral vessels.- 15 Drug-coated balloons: lessons from the real world.- 16 Stent use after drug-coated balloons.- 17 Drug coated balloons and antithrombotic treatment.- 18 Cost/effectiveness and reimbursement policies with drug-coated balloons.- 19 Newer devices-technical insights & preliminary scientific data.- 20 Current technical challenges and the future of drug-coated balloons.