Abstract
Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) has been widely adopted to dilate the atheroscleroitc vessels becaue this procedure is safe and facilitates with good patient's adaptation. We analyzed the results of PTA for atherosclerotic stenosis of the iliac and superficial femoral arteries in 36 patients with intermittent claudication. In these 61 vessels, thg initial success rate was 87% (32 cases, 53 vessels) with immediate remission of claudication. 26 were followed up in care of initial PTA alone. Most patients treatd with PTA alone had only a single lesion of arterial stenosis. Repeated dilation was required for 3 patients. Synthetic graft bypass had to be done for 3 patients. Those cases had multiple sclerotic changes in the proximal and distal sites of stenotic lesion. Cumulative patency rates for iliac angioplasty were 88%, 73%, and 66% after one, two, and three years, respectivley. There were 5 complications (14%) and only 2 of them required surgical repair.
Our findings suggest that PTA provides an immediate symptomatic remission and good long-term results for the majority of patients with a single and short area of stenosis in the peripheral arteries.
