PERCUTANEOUS TRANSLUMINAL ANGIOPLASTY FOR LOWER-LIMB CRITICAL ISCHEMIA

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) alone was used to treat 54 (23 per cent) of 232 lower limbs with critical ischaemia. Technical s uccess was achieved in 49 cases (91 per cent) with an immediate sympto matic improvement in 47 (87 per cent). There was no death or limb loss attributable to PTA and three embolic complications were successfully treated by percutaneous aspiration. Symptomatic improvement and haemo dynamic patency rates at 24 months were 77 and 78 per cent respectivel y; 27 of 34 limbs with ulceration or gangrene had healed with minor su rgery by a median of 7.5 (range 3.0-18.0) months. Patients survival an d limb salvage rates at the same time interval were 76 and 89 per cent respectively. These results demonstrate that, for a selected group of patients with lower-limb critical ischaemia, PTA can be a highly succ essful therapeutic option with a low associated morbidity.