Transluminal dilation. An alternative?

In a prospective study, 384 peripheral arterial transluminal dilations were evaluated, using clinical and vascular laboratory criteria, and analyzed by the life-table method. The overall cumulative success rate was 58.9 +/- 3.3% (mean +/- SEM) after two years but was higher if the iliac segment was dilated, only one site was dilated, the clinical indication was claudication, the distal vessels were normal, the ankle-brachial BP ratio was more than 0.35, or if the patient was younger than 55 years. The complication rate was 3.9%. If the dilation failed, the symptoms were worse in 8% and the ankle-brachial BP ratio fell in 23%. After successful dilation in patients with normal distal vessels, residual claudication persisted in 34%, and the ankle-brachial BP ratio remained abnormal in 40%. Although the overall success rate of transluminal dilation was lower than for a comparable surgical procedure, dilation does have a role in the management of localized peripheral vascular disease.