Resolution of petrous internal carotid artery stenosis after transluminal angioplasty. Case report.

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty is commonly used for treatment of peripheral vascular disease, but only recently has it been applied to craniocervical lesions. The successful use of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty for treatment of an isolated high-grade stenosis of the petrous internal carotid artery is described in a patient with progressive ischemic symptoms despite maximum medical management. At his 2-year follow-up examination, the patient remained asymptomatic with angiographic evidence of progressive resolution of the stenotic lesion and indirect evidence of improved hemispheric blood flow ipsilateral to the lesion. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty may provide an effective means of treatment for selective intracranial artherosclerotic stenosis.