Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty as a Complement to Surgery

Abstract

Transluminal angioplasty, a nonsurgical technique described by Dotter and Judkins in 1964 [1], is now widely used as a substitute for reconstructive vascular surgery in the management of atherosclerotic occlusive disease. A double-lumen catheter designed by Grüntzig and Hopff 1974 [2] is now frequently used in dilatation of many arteries and even in the abdominal aorta [3–14]. Successful dilatation of arterial occlusions may alleviate the need for lengthy and costly reconstructive vascular surgery, but this is not applicable in every case and surgery is still the primary treatment in the majority of patients. The patency of an arterial bypass is directly related to adequate inflow and proportionate outflow. Any hemodynamically significant occlusive lesion, proximal or distal to an arterial bypass, endangers the patency of the graft; if not relieved it will eventually lead to graft thrombosis. Arterial dilatation can easily be used in both pre- and postsurgical stages to treat these lesions, thus preventing graft occlusion.