Initial experience with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in the management of Takayasu's arteritis.

We have performed percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) for 15 arterial stenoses in 11 patients with Takayasu's arteritis. The lesions included tight, proximally located renal artery stenosis (12 stenoses; nine patients), localized abdominal aortic stenosis (two patients) and occluded left common iliac artery (one patient). Clinically successful dilatation was achieved in seven patients (10 stenoses) with renal artery stenosis, in both the patients with abdominal aortic stenosis and in the only patient with an occluded left common iliac artery. No complications related to the procedure were encountered. The follow-up period (n = 7) ranged between 1 and 16 months, mean follow-up period after renal angioplasty was 5 months and after abdominal aortic angioplasty was 12.5 months. Initial success has been maintained in both the patients with abdominal aortic stenoses and in four out of five patients with renal artery stenosis. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty offers an attractive alternative for the management of stenosing lesions in Takayasu's arteritis with good short term results.