Transluminal angioplasty of the iliac and femoropopliteal arteries. Current status.

Transluminal angioplasty for the management of atherosclerosis obliterans has been performed in 160 patients for 100 iliac and 98 femoropopliteal lesions. The procedure was performed percutaneously except in eight patients in whom operative exposure was required. Angioplasty was technically successful in all 100 iliac artery lesions. There was hemodynamic and clinical improvement in 92 lesions. The procedure was technically successful in 84 of the 98 femoropopliteal artery lesions with hemodynamic improvement in 74 and clinical improvement in 78. There were ten complications directly related to the angioplasty and six related to the arteriographic procedure. Cumulative patency rates for the angioplasties were 92% and 75% at three years for iliac and femoropopliteal lesions, respectively. These promising results suggest that transluminal angioplasty has a definite role in the management of atherosclerosis obliterans of iliac and femoropopliteal arteries.