title: Results of transluminal angioplasty of infra-popliteal arteries.
abstract: Transluminal angioplasty is rarely used to treat arterial diseases at leg level. During the last 5 years we have performed 25 distal artery angioplasties in 24 patients. Average age was 70 years, half of them were diabetics. Twenty patients had critical ischemia and 4 asymptomatic patients had critical stenosis distal to a previous patent infra-genicular bypass. Arteriography showed a single leg artery stenosis in 23 cases and a two distal artery stenosis in one case. No material other than guide wire was used to pass through the stenosis. All the dilation was performed in the operating room. Immediate results were good in 20 patients (21 stenosis). Four early failures occurred: one technical, one for progressive limb gangrene with secondary amputation, one postoperative thrombosis and one residual stenosis over 50%. Six patients had recurrent stenosis at mean 9 months. Five of them were treated with a new balloon angioplasty and the last with femoro-distal bypass. The 2 years cumulative primary and secondary patency rates were respectively 46 and 64%. With only guide wire and balloon catheters it is possible to treat distal artery lesions with rather good results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, CHRU, Hopital Nord, Saint-Eitenne, France.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Favre
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Do Carmo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Adham
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Gournier
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Barral
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon / Q000009:adverse effects; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D007866:Leg / Q000098:blood supply*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014654:Vascular Patency; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures