Late Results After Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty of Iliac and Femoropopliteal Obstructive Lesions — A Cooperative Study

The comparability of long-term results after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) depends upon standardized, quantitative methods of follow-up control. In this regard, simple unidirectional Doppler ultrasound examinations [1–3] provide a complement to manual checks of the pulse status and vascular auscultation. Additionally, intravenous digital subtraction angiography (DSA), because of its low complication rate and limited invasiveness, is finding increasing application as a method for following the results of PTA [4–6]. Conventional arteriographic studies can then be limited to those cases in which there is good reason to suspect recurrent obstruction and in which PTA may need to be repeated immediately.