Angioplasty in peripheral vascular disease.

Percutaneous revascularization as an alternative to surgery in the management of peripheral vascular disease was first described in 1964 but gained little acceptance.' In 1974 the development of a doublelumen balloon catheter by Gruntzig and others made the technique a much more practical and effective one that has subsequently gained widespread acceptance.2 At first it was used in the peripheral arteries but soon extended to the renal and coronary arteries. In the 12 years since its introduction the technology of balloon catheters and the associated equipment has improved considerably. This in addition to the experience gained by radiologists has allowed the scope and range of angioplasty to be extended so that many more lesions can now be safely and effectively treated. Angioplasty techniques can be applied to such diverse lesions as branch stenoses of a renal artery or a distal tibial stenosis as well as to aortic and pulmonary valve stenosis. In this article the role of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in peripheral vascular disease only will be examined.