To prevent intimal hyperplasia within a dialysis graft, a flexible tube
comprising the dialysis graft is coated interiorly before placement with
an anticarcinogen or mitosis-inhibiting agent for preventing cell
division. The graft can also be irradiated with light energy by directing
light into the lumen of the tube that has been grafted in place, thereby
preventing or reducing dialysis graft intimal hyperplasia and reducing
inflammation. The light source can be a light emitting diode (LED) or a
chemical light source, i.e., a chemiluminescent substance for producing
cool light energy within the graft to prevent or reduce the symptoms of
GIH. When phototherapy is used, the body is exposed to light radiation at
the site of the graft in sufficient amount to prevent undesired cell
proliferation within the vessels, the graft, or surrounding tissue where
the invention is used without detectable damage to body tissue.