Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Nonsurgical therapy of occlusive arterial disease

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty offers the physician an alternative to surgical therapy of occlusive arterial disease in selected patients. Its current use in peripheral vascular disease has been successful and widely accepted. Application of the technique to stenosis of the renal and coronary arteries is still investigational and associated with considerable morbidity. Its usefulness in these situations will be determined by the outcome of further clinical trials.