THE ROLE OF ANGIOPLASTY IN THE TREATMENT OF CEREBROVASCULAR-DISEASE

PERCUTANEOUS TRANSLUMINAL ANGIOPLASTY (PTA), an established treatment of arterial stenosis in coronary, renal, and other peripheral sites, i s being applied to the cerebrovascular territory with greater frequenc y. Early results suggest that PTA may be safe and efficacious in the t reatment of extracranial arterial stenosis secondary to atherosclerosi s and fibromuscular dysplasia. PTA is also being used with promising r esults in treating symptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis from ath erosclerosis. This review examines PTA in the treatment of cerebrovasc ular disease, current indications, and results.