RESULTS OF TRANSLUMINAL ANGIOPLASTY OF INFRA-POPLITEAL ARTERIES

Transluminal angioplasty is rarely used to treat arterial diseases at leg level. During the last 5 years we have performed 25 distal artery angioplasties in 24 patients. Average age was 70 years, half of them w ere diabetics. Twenty patients had critical ischemia and 4 asymptomati c patients had critical stenosis distal to a previous patent infra-gen icular bypass. Arteriography showed a single leg artery stenosis in 23 cases and a two distal artery stenosis in one case. No material other than guide wire was used to pass through the stenosis. All the dilati on was performed in the operating room, Immediate results were good in 20 patients (21 stenosis), Four early failures occurred: one technica l, one for progressive limb gangrene with secondary amputation, one po stoperative thrombosis and one residual stenosis over 50%. Six patient s had recurrent stenosis at mean 9 months. Five of them were treated w ith a new balloon angioplasty and the last with femoro-distal bypass. The 2 years cumulative primary and secondary patency rates were respec tively 46 and 64%. With only guide wire and balloon catheters it is po ssible to treat distal artery lesions with rather good results.