Transluminal dilation. An alternative?
K. W. Johnston, R. F. Colapinto and R. J. Baird
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.
