In 1974, Grüntzig reported successful percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) for chronic arterial stenosis using the balloon catheter that was newly designed by himself. Many papers concerning about PTA using Grüntzig balloon catheter were presented Europe and U. S. A. Recently, the catheter has been used widely in Japan, also.
PTA with Grüntzig balloon catheter is a very simple and useful procedure and can be accomplished under only local anesthesia, and then we can use it even for patients with poor risk.
Three patients, who had been suffered from intermittent claudication caused by the stenosis or the obstruction of iliac or femoral arteies affected with arterio-sclerotic changes, were treated by PTA using Grüntzig balloon catheter in our hospital. The affected arteries were dilated successfully, and the patients were relieved from their complaints.
